“I really appreciated that Shania Twain came back this year and supported me in the final" - Casper Ruud after winning Swiss Open

Newly-crowned Swiss Open champion Casper Ruud recently expressed his delight at the fact that the Queen of Country Pop, Shania Twain, watched and supported him during his title clash win over Matteo Berrettini.

“I really appreciated that she came back this year and supported me in the final,” Ruud said to ATP. “It was nice to see her again.”

Ruud won his ninth career title on Sunday, beating Matteo Berrettini 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 in Gstaad. He successfully defended his crown from 2021 when he won the title, beating Hugo Gaston in the final.

Interestingly, Shania Twain also came to watch Ruud in action last year. She watched the Norwegian win his semi-final and final before meeting the latter's family through mutual friends. This led to her returning to the tournament once again this year to watch Ruud.

Twain, 56, is regarded as one of the greatest singers to have walked this planet. She has sold over 100 million records, making her the best-selling female artist in music history.

She has won numerous awards and laurels throughout her career, including the prestigious Grammy Awards, which she has scalped a whopping five times.

Although a Canadian by birth, Twain is now a long-term resident of Switzerland, which explains her frequent visits to the Swiss Open in Gstaad.

“Congratulations, my friend, what a result" - Shania Twain tweeted after Casper Ruud's Swiss Open victory

Shania Twain took to Twitter after Casper Ruud's win on Sunday, congratulating the Norwegian for his result. She also called him her "friend."

“Spent my Sunday watching Casper Ruud win his second Swiss Open Gstaad,” Twain wrote on Twitter. “Congratulations my friend, what a result!”

Separately, Casper Ruud also paid a rich tribute to Swiss tennis legends Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka in his chat with ATP after lifting his second Swiss Open crown.

Federer and Wawrinka are regarded as the flagbearers of Swiss tennis despite having been on their decline in recent years.

Ruud also mentioned that Switzerland reminded him of Norway due to several similarities between the two nations.

“I think Switzerland is a country with a lot of history now in tennis, winning a lot of Grand Slams with Roger [Federer] and Stan [Wawrinka] the last 18 or 19 years," said Ruud. "So it’s been an inspiration to everyone around the world, including myself, that they are able to come from a small country, sort of like Norway. Everything about Switzerland reminds me a little bit about Norway.”