Holger Rune - "Better set as number one than number eight"
Holger Rune goes into the ATP Tour 250 event in Montpellier as a tournament favorite. A premiere for the 19-year-old Dane.
by Robin Huiber
last edit:
Feb 08, 2023, 08:03 am
How well Holger Rune coped with the blow at the Australian Open 2023 will probably only become clear in the coming weeks and especially in the next big tasks in Indian Wells and Miami. As a reminder: In the round of 16 in Melbourne, Rune lost to Andrey Rublev despite several match points in the tie-break of the fifth set, thus missing a meeting with Novak Djokovic.
At the Davis Cup this weekend, Rune was in good shape again, winning both his singles and doubles. Denmark can thus play for a place in the world group in September.
Rune is often the top favorite as a junior
However, Holger Rune is currently employed in Montpellier. And starts for the first time in his career as number one in a tournament at ATP level. Which doesn't scare the teenager. "It's a nice challenge because if I want to achieve my goals and dreams, I'll be the top seed in tournaments," said Rune in his press conference in Montpellier.
"So it's good to get used to it. It's definitely better than being seeded number eight or anywhere else.” Rune is not completely inexperienced in this position: as a junior he started many events as the number one favourite.
Bitter memories of the Rublev match
The bankruptcy against Rublev was also discussed again. “Of course it was a tough defeat. I really wanted another chance to play against Novak. I would have gone into the match with a lot of excitement and also with the belief that I could win it. Because I always believe I can win a match. But of course: it would have been the most difficult match ever in the quarter-finals.”
In Montpellier, the task at the beginning is not easy either: Because Holger Rune has to play against Marc-Andrea Huesler. The Swiss beat both Oscar Otte and Alexander Zverev in Trier last week. And has also won the two previous encounters against Rune: in 2022 in bastad and Sofia. And in each case without losing a sentence.