Maria Galligani is a Norwegian psychology graduate and mental health professional who is best known as the fiancée of Casper Ruud, one of the leading players on the ATP Tour.
Ruud has established himself among the world’s elite tennis players through Grand Slam finals and ATP titles. Meanwhile, Galligani has largely built her own career away from professional sport.
She has consistently maintained a private profile, appearing publicly mainly while supporting Ruud at tournaments around the world.
The couple have been together since 2018 and announced their engagement in November 2024, one of the biggest personal milestones of Ruud’s career away from tennis.
Galligani has accompanied the Norwegian throughout many of the defining moments of his professional journey, including appearances at Grand Slam tournaments, the ATP Finals and the Laver Cup.
Away from tennis, she has pursued higher education in psychology and developed experience within health and wellbeing, choosing a career outside the spotlight despite growing international interest in her relationship.
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Maria Galligani Biography
She was born on 25 October 1997 in Oslo, Norway. Maria Galligani grew up in the Norwegian capital alongside her siblings and completed most of her education there before continuing her university studies in Denmark.
Galligani comes from a close family and has occasionally shared photographs with her siblings through social media. Publicly available information identifies her sisters as Lara and Julie Galligani, while Simon Galligani has also been identified as her brother.
She has generally kept details about her parents private and has never publicly discussed their occupations or family life in interviews.
That level of privacy has remained consistent even after her relationship with Casper Ruud attracted international attention.
Galligani rarely gives interviews or comments publicly about her personal life, preferring to remain focused on her own education and professional development. Her academic interests centred on psychology from an early stage.
After attending school in Norway, she pursued higher education with the goal of building a career within mental health and behavioural sciences.
Those ambitions have shaped much of her professional path outside tennis.
Career
Maria Galligani’s professional career has centred on psychology and health, an area she has pursued through higher education, internships and practical placements.
She has maintained a relatively private professional life while building qualifications within psychology. During her studies, she gained practical experience through internships connected to health promotion and wellbeing.
Her placement with Villa SULT provided exposure to multidisciplinary healthcare, where psychology, nutrition and lifestyle advice are integrated to support long-term health outcomes.
She also worked with Sunn Idrett, contributing to programmes focused on creating healthier sporting environments for young athletes.
Both organisations emphasise mental wellbeing alongside physical performance, aligning closely with Galligani’s academic interests.
Although she has become one of the most recognisable partners on the ATP Tour because of Ruud’s success, Galligani has continued to keep her own professional ambitions largely separate from tennis.
She has consistently prioritised education and professional development, choosing a career path rooted in healthcare and psychology.
Casper Ruud’s Fiancée
Maria Galligani and Casper Ruud have been together since 2018, forming one of the most recognisable relationships on the ATP Tour while keeping much of their personal life away from public attention.
Both grew up in the Oslo area and first knew each other before Ruud became an established figure in international tennis.
Their relationship developed naturally as Ruud’s career began to accelerate on the ATP Tour. They made their relationship public through social media in 2018 and have remained together ever since.
Galligani has become a familiar presence at many of Ruud’s biggest tournaments. She has regularly attended Grand Slam events, ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, the ATP Finals and other major competitions, supporting him from the players’ box alongside members of the Ruud family.
Her presence has coincided with some of the most successful years of Ruud’s career.
During their relationship, Ruud has reached the finals of:
- The 2022 French Open.
- The 2022 US Open.
- The 2023 French Open.
- The 2022 ATP Finals.
Galligani was frequently photographed supporting him throughout those tournaments, though she has rarely sought media attention herself.
Ruud has occasionally acknowledged her support during interviews, describing the importance of having family and close friends around him during the demanding ATP calendar.
Professional tennis requires players to spend much of the year travelling between tournaments across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.
Galligani has often joined Ruud during parts of that schedule while continuing her own education and professional commitments. Their relationship has become well known among tennis fans because of its stability during a period when Ruud established himself as one of Norway’s greatest tennis players.
Engagement
Maria Galligani and Casper Ruud announced their engagement in November 2024. Ruud shared the news through his verified Instagram account, posting photographs of the proposal alongside the caption: “Can’t wait to marry you.”
The announcement was widely celebrated across the tennis world, with fellow ATP and WTA players, sports organisations and supporters congratulating the couple.
The engagement marked the next chapter in a relationship that had already lasted more than six years. Galligani and Ruud have not publicly announced a wedding date. Both continue to keep their private life relatively low profile despite Ruud’s growing international popularity.
Their relationship remains one of the most established partnerships among active ATP players, built alongside Ruud’s rise from promising Norwegian teenager to Grand Slam finalist and one of the world’s leading tennis professionals.