Amid on-court struggles, a frustrated Holger Rune has once again put off tennis fans with his refusal to shake the chair umpire’s hand after his Davis Cup match against Pedro Martinez. Team Spain took on Team Denmark in the second-round qualifiers in Marbella, Spain, over the weekend.
Denmark won the first two of the five matches and looked set to eliminate the six-time champions. However, the home team, without World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, scripted a memorable comeback to win 3-2 and qualify for the Final 8.
A win for Rune in the fourth match would have sent his country into the next round. The 22-year-old failed to convert a match point on serve at 5-3, 40-30 in the third set, with Martinez winning 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(3) in three hours and 15 minutes.
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There were a few controversial moments in the deciding set. Holger Rune asked for a medical timeout to address his cramps, forcing Team Spain captain David Ferrer to confront the officials. A double-bounce call that went against Rune may have been the reason why he extended his hand toward the umpire after the match, but immediately withdrew.
Fans online reacted to the Danish youngster's actions, with the majority citing a lack of maturity.
"lmao he is such a gigantic baby you almost have to respect it," a fan wrote.
Another quipped:
"Can someone take a minute and tag every single WTA player so they see what an ill-mannered, rude, spoilt, man-child this clown really is?"
One fan claimed that Holger Rune made it difficult for them to stay in his corner, writing:
"Every time I want to start rooting for Holger to win more and challenge the top players, he pulls some d*ck move that leaves me to root for his downfall."
Referring to the recent back-and-forth between Russian player Anna Kalinskaya and Rune, a user joked:
"Anna Kalinskaya is taking notes."
One fan said they didn't mind a few 'characters' such as Rune, who made tennis entertaining.
"I think tennis is more entertaining when we have characters like him lol. They can’t all be winners... we need some court jesters too."
"CHILDISH, IMMATURE," another user chimed in.
Rune's next assignment is the Laver Cup, where he is part of Team Europe. The tournament will be played at Chase Center in San Francisco, California, from September 19-21.
Holger Rune weighs in on his scuffle with Spanish crowd at Davis Cup
During his Davis Cup match with Pedro Martinez on Sunday, September 14, Holger Rune was seen bickering with the spectators on multiple occasions. However, in the press conference after his team's loss, the World No. 11 said (via Punto de Break):
"The crowd had no impact on my game."
Rune also lauded World No. 67 Martinez, who came in as Jaume Munar's replacement for the match.
"Martinez defended very well, performed excellently, and played better than me in the final stretch of the match," Rune added.
Holger Rune has struggled this year, winning his lone title, the ATP 500 Barcelona Open, in April. He reached the fourth round at the Australian Open and the French Open, while facing first-round and second-round exits at Wimbledon and the US Open, respectively.
