Casper Ruud and Luciano Darderi are currently facing off in the semifinals of the 2026 Italian Open. An on-court moment involving Darderi sparked backlash online.
During the walkout, Ruud was seen holding a ballkid’s hand, while Darderi, wearing sunglasses, appeared to overlook the ballkid in front of him, who ended up walking alone. The moment didn’t sit well with fans, who took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their frustration.
“Casper Ruud the nicest guy on the tour, while Darderi always the biggest jerk with terrible behavior,” one user wrote.
“Video of the year. He has truly forgotten the child. I feel sick,” another wrote.
“Can he not see with the shades or did he do this deliberately??? He did bump his hand against the kid. What an absolute dips**t . Nobody can make me like Darderi,” one user posted.
“But can you ever forget to step onto the field with a child who’s been placed in the centre of the entrance, waiting for you. Who knows what he sees with those glasses,” another tweeted.
“For this ridiculous business with the glasses, he forgot to shake the kid’s hand,” one account commented.
“I am sorry Darderi, but it’s not right that you ignored the child at the entrance. Seeing him then following you into the court. No, it’s not okay,” another joined in.
Ruud defeated Zachary Svajda, Jiri Lehecka, Lorenzo Musetti, and Karen Khachanov to reach the last four, while Darderi got past Yannick Hanfmann, Tommy Paul, Alexander Zverev, and Rafael Jodar. The duo are yet to meet each other on the ATP Tour.
Casper Ruud Defeats Luciano Darderi To Reach Italian Open Final
Casper Ruud reached the final of the Italian Open after a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win over Luciano Darderi on Friday. He was quick to share his thoughts on the performance and revealed what worked in his favor during the match.
“He finished at 2:30 the other night. What a match he had and what a tournament he’s had,” Ruud told reporters. “Luckily for me I was done much earlier than him that day. I had more time to recover and get ready. It’s my 10th semifinal in 1000s and it’s his first.”
“So you try to use that experience to your advantage and I think I did that well today. He was maybe a bit stressed and a bit nervous of the occasion. I tried to stay focused and in my own tunnel vision in a way. I think I did well. I was forcing a lot of errors out of his racquet,” the NORWEGIAN added.
Casper Ruud is now set to face either top seed Jannik Sinner or seventh seed Daniil Medvedev in the final.
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