Casper Makes It 2-0 to Ruud Family After Beating Korda in Madrid 

Norway's Casper Ruud returns the ball to US Sebastian Korda during their 2025 ATP Tour Madrid Open tennis tournament third round singles match at the Caja Magica in Madrid, on April 27, 2025. (AFP)
Norway's Casper Ruud returns the ball to US Sebastian Korda during their 2025 ATP Tour Madrid Open tennis tournament third round singles match at the Caja Magica in Madrid, on April 27, 2025. (AFP)
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Casper Makes It 2-0 to Ruud Family After Beating Korda in Madrid 

Norway's Casper Ruud returns the ball to US Sebastian Korda during their 2025 ATP Tour Madrid Open tennis tournament third round singles match at the Caja Magica in Madrid, on April 27, 2025. (AFP)
Norway's Casper Ruud returns the ball to US Sebastian Korda during their 2025 ATP Tour Madrid Open tennis tournament third round singles match at the Caja Magica in Madrid, on April 27, 2025. (AFP)

Casper Ruud said gaining revenge for his family was on his mind during his win over Sebastian Korda at the Madrid Open on Sunday but the Norwegian could only grin sheepishly after learning his father Christian had actually beaten Petr Korda 26 years ago.

Christian Ruud defeated former world number two Petr Korda in their only meeting on the ATP Tour at the Miami Open in 1999, a stat which surprised world number 15.

"Honestly I thought he had lost to Petr before, so I was out here seeking revenge for the family, but this is an even better statistic for us," he said after his 6-3 6-3 win on Sunday.

"We'll try to keep it alive for as long as possible. It's fun that you see certain situations like this where father and son have played and are doing well.

"I'm sure Sebi and I will play many more times in our career and I'll try my best to keep him behind me but at some point I'm sure he'll catch up or get a win over the Ruud family."

Victory was Ruud's 150th win on clay and the twice French Open runner-up will continue his preparations for the May 25-June 8 Grand Slam when he meets third-seeded American Taylor Fritz in the Madrid round of 16.



Japan’s King Kazu Wants More After First Appearance of 40th Season 

Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe talk with Kazuyoshi Miura, Japanese soccer legend and Japan Football League club Suzuka Point Getters player, during a news conference upon their team's arrival in Tokyo for their team's tour of Japan in Tokyo, Japan July 17, 2022. (Reuters)
Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe talk with Kazuyoshi Miura, Japanese soccer legend and Japan Football League club Suzuka Point Getters player, during a news conference upon their team's arrival in Tokyo for their team's tour of Japan in Tokyo, Japan July 17, 2022. (Reuters)
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Japan’s King Kazu Wants More After First Appearance of 40th Season 

Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe talk with Kazuyoshi Miura, Japanese soccer legend and Japan Football League club Suzuka Point Getters player, during a news conference upon their team's arrival in Tokyo for their team's tour of Japan in Tokyo, Japan July 17, 2022. (Reuters)
Paris St Germain's Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe talk with Kazuyoshi Miura, Japanese soccer legend and Japan Football League club Suzuka Point Getters player, during a news conference upon their team's arrival in Tokyo for their team's tour of Japan in Tokyo, Japan July 17, 2022. (Reuters)

Japan's Kazuyoshi "King Kazu" Miura made his first appearance of his 40th season as a professional footballer at the weekend and shows no sign of wanting to hang up his boots any time soon.

The former international forward, who turned 58 in February, came on as a late substitute in Atletico Suzuka's 2-1 win over YSCC Yokohama in the fourth tier of the Japanese pyramid on Sunday.

The popular striker signed an 18-month loan deal with Suzuka last June but a leg injury sustained in January had kept him on the sidelines from the start of this Japan Football League season.

"I hope to play again showing my character," Miura told Kyodo news agency after the match.

"I managed to play thanks to the support from everyone. I'm looking to stepping up a gear from here."

Miura made his first two appearances for Santos in the 1986 Brazilian Championship, having headed alone to South America to pursue his football dream as a 15-year-old.

He returned to Japan as an established international to join Verdy Kawasaki and helped them win the first two J.League titles in 1993 and 1994. He scored 55 goals in 89 appearances for Japan, the last of which came in 2000.

Miura, whose long club career has also included spells in Italy, Croatia, Australia and Portugal, still has a way to go to match Egyptian Ezzeldin Bahader's record of turning out for a professional team at the age of 74.

Given his commitment to the game, however, it might be foolish to write him off.

"When I was around 35 or 40, I did start saying to myself, 'I can't keep playing this way'," he told FIFA.com in April.

"Rather than giving any thought to quitting, it was more about pushing myself to give more. It's not so much that the word 'retire' isn't in my vocabulary, but more that I've never felt any desire to do it."