Ruud Plays Through Rib Injury to Face Draper in Madrid Open Final

Norwegian Casper Ruud did not let a rib injury get in the way of setting up a Madrid Open final showdown with fifth seed Jack Draper as he reached the title match without dropping a set following a 6-4 7-5 win over Francisco Cerundolo on Friday.
Ruud, who ousted Taylor Fritz and Daniil Medvedev in the previous rounds, needed treatment three games into the opening set while he managed to stave off 15 of the 18 break points he faced against the Argentine to move into his third Masters 1000 final.
He will face a red-hot Draper, who advanced to his third final of the season with a 6-3 7-6(4) win over Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, Reuters reported.
Currently ranked world number 15, Ruud is set to break into the top 10 once again but his plans very nearly fell apart as the match got underway.
“I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to finish the match, honestly. I felt something in my rib during the warm-up, just towards the end before going out (on court),” Ruud said.
“I felt it in nearly every shot, especially the serve. Luckily, I got some quick treatment on it. There’s not too much you can do, you only have three minutes (with the physio). So I will go and check it out more now.”