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Why Casper Ruud's 'lucky charm' fiancée Maria Galligani was absent from Italian Open final vs Sinner - Explained
Casper Ruud praised fiancée Maria Galligani and their newborn daughter after his Italian Open loss to Jannik Sinner, calling her his “lucky charm.”
As Norway's Casper Ruud's took on Italy's Jannik Sinner at the final of the Italian Open 2026 on Sunday, his fiancé, Maria Galligani, was notably absent from the stands cheering for Ruud. It left many wondering as to why Galligani was not there, given she is often seen cheering for Ruud.
But after Ruud lost to Sinner in two straight sets 6-4, 6-4, he spoke about his family- especially his partner Galligani and their newborn daughter, whom he described as his "lucky charm."
Rudd remembered his family and described the year as "very good" off the court despite his struggle on it.
“I’d like to thank my own team, behind there.. it’s a bit hard to talk and look at them," Ruud said after his loss.
Also read: Jannik Sinner's GF Laila makes sweet gesture for Italian star's parents after win vs Ruud - Watch
"It’s been a little bit of an interesting year for me on and off the court," he continued. "Very good year off the court. My fiancée and I had a daughter earlier in the year.. I wanted to say quickly that we brought her here to Rome. She’s been a very good luck charm for us. We’ll try again to bring her next year and see if we can win a tournament for her. It was a very good time for us.”
Casper Ruud and Maria Galligani welcomed their baby daughter on January 30, 2026. She is just a few months old now. The couple have not revealed her name.
“30.01.2026💗 Best feeling ever💗,” Rudd wrote on social media, announcing the birth of their daughter.
Also read: Jannik Sinner prize money: Italian Open winner bags massive sum after beating Casper Ruud
Ruud All Praise For Sinner, Italian Federation
Despite his loss to the Italian, Casper Ruud was full of praise for the Italian tennis federation, Sinner, and other Italian players for taking the nation's name to the top tournaments.
“I wanted to say to the "Italian tennis federation you are doing an incredible job," Rudd said. "With what Jannik is doing and also after Jannik, you have 6, 7, 8 unbelievable players who are taking tennis by storm. I know that in football it’s a different story at the moment. Sorry. When you’re losing to Norway we have to be able to make a bit of jokes.”
Sinner leads Casper Ruud 5-0 in their head-to-head record on the ATP Tour after beating Ruud in the 2026 Italian Open final. Ruud has yet to win a set against Sinner.
