ATP Rotterdam: Holger Rune in the footsteps of Andre Agassi
Yes, his retirement from the ATP Tour 500 tournament in Rotterdam may have had something to do with a wrist injury. But once again Holger Rune allowed himself to be disturbed by external influences.
by tennisnet.com
last edit:
Feb 17, 2023, 10:41 am
Andre Agassi was on an excellent path that spring of 2001 at Roland Garros. Re-entering the semi-finals seemed only logical, after all Agassi had easily won the first set 6-1 against Sebastien Grosjean. Then, however, the then ex-US President Bill Clinton squeezed himself into the honorary stand in the middle of a game with Entourage, which took Andre Agassi's interest in playing tennis. The 1999 French Open champion no longer made any effort to expose himself to longer rallies, simply hammered on every ball, Grosjean gratefully accepted the gifts.
Older tennis fans could think a bit of this match when they watched Holger Rune on Thursday evening at his performance in Rotterdam against local hero Gijs Brouwers. Rune had the game under control and led in set one with a break. Then the spectators got a little restless, disturbing Rune when he served. The Dane then gave the Agassi. And after losing the first set, he didn't win a single game before giving up at 4-0 in the second set. Because of a wrist injury. The coming weeks will show how severe this restriction actually is.
Fortunately, Rune is at home in the Davis Cup
What is striking, however, is how thin-skinned Holger Rune still is. So it suits him that Denmark played a home game against Brazil in the relegation game for entry/staying in the Davis Cup world group. Imagine Rune facing a real cauldron in a real away game.
Actually, the audience in Rotterdam is by no means unfair. The night before, another local hero, Tallon Griekspoor, had taken the opportunity to eliminate a higher-ranked player, Alexander Zverev. The fans had cheered for Griekspoor and also celebrated after the match point was converted, but only to the usual extent. Just like the French Sebastien Grosjean on that day in spring 2001.