"We'd like to know what we're paying for" - Casper Ruud opens up about wedding planning with fiancée Maria but keeps 'perfect location' a 'secret'

Casper Ruud shared how he planned his wedding and traveled overseas to find the perfect location while recovering during the grasscourt season. Since his French Open stint, Ruud has been absent from most grasscourt tournaments, including Wimbledon.

Ruud made his major tournament debut at the Australian Open, the same year he made his relationship with Maria Galligani public. Galligani, who has a degree in psychology, is a fixture in Ruud's tournaments, supporting him from the family box. The couple got engaged in 2024 and has been planning to tie the knot in 2026, as Ruud revealed in a conversation with Prakash Amritraj on Tennis Channel.

The 26-year-old enjoyed some downtime during the grasscourt season, recovering from his tendinitis ache and travelling overseas to find a location for his wedding. Despite having decided on the place, Casper Ruud kept it a surprise. The Norwegian also playfully admitted that wine tasting wasn't his thing, but he would like to participate in other decisions since he was paying for the wedding. He explained:

"I had some time to plan my wedding for next year, I was quite involved in some planning and time to do other stuff that you typically don't have time for, so it was nice. I mean, we had some trips overseas to find the right location. Since I didn't play the grass, I had time to go for some trips to find the perfect location, and we did, so I won't tell you the location, I'll tell you the time, it will be next summer. Lovely. But the location should be a surprise, but it was nice, it was really fun, just to be involved and, like the other players, who have got an engaged feel. I mean, the majority of us are paying for the wedding, so we'd like to know what we're paying for, at least myself." "So I want to be involved, I mean, there are certain details like, you know, colors and details on the table, these things I space out completely, but I'll let Maria decide everything, but I wanted to have a saying on the place and the time and know a little bit the biggest cost, you know, what I'm paying for. Wine is not my thing, but I'll join for the food and wine, and cake tasting, for sure," he added.

Casper Ruud will face Karen Khachanov in the National Bank Round of 16, slated for tomorrow.

Casper Ruud once shouted out to his fiancée Maria Galligani after his monumental Madrid Open win

Ruud and Galligani at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell 2024 - Day Seven - (Source: Getty)

Showcasing his claycourt prowess, Casper Ruud ousted Jack Draper in two sets in the final to lift the Madrid Open trophy. In his post-match interview, he expressed gratitude to his family and shared that his fiancée played an integral role in leading him to success on the final day.

"Yeah it’s been incredible. I owe a lot of my success to all my closest ones. My family. My friends. My fiancée Maria. We got engaged last year so she’s been an incredible support for me over many years now. She came yesterday to come and support. Maybe that was the last little push I needed to get over the finish line. I’m really happy and it’s great I’m surrounded by amazing people. I’m a really lucky guy.”

Casper Ruud peaked at No. 2 in the ATP rankings in 2022, becoming the highest-ranked Norwegian tennis player of all time.

Edited by Samya Majumdar