Holger Rune lives in hard times. The Dane is suffering a deep slump in the game and results that peaked on Friday.
He made his debut at the Shanghai Masters 1000 against American Brandon Nakashimaa tricky opponent but under normal conditions shouldn’t make life difficult for a player of his level.
Well, not only was it difficult for him, but it resulted in the toughest defeat of his entire career. A 6-0, 6-2 in just over an hour that highlights the enormous problems they are in one of those called to dominate the circuit for years to come.
Holger Rune is from the same generation as Carlos Alcaraz. They shared grassroots tournaments. The Nordic player came out sporting at the end of last year, when indoors and on hard courts he made the final in Sofia, the title in Stockholm, the final in Basel and the crown in Paris-Bercy., where he finished, beating Wawrinka, Hurkacz, Rublev, Alcaraz, Auger-Aliassime and Djokovic. He did not reach the ATP Finals, where he reached as an alternate.
Suddenly Rune joined the elite. He is experiencing more problems to take the big step. He pretends but doesn’t shoot. This season, final in Monte Carlo and Rome, quarterfinals in Roland Garros and Wimbledon. It reached the best rank, number four.
But managing high expectations took its toll in the form of locker room problems and physical problems. Suddenly, the Holger Rune enters a negative dynamic, an unexpected crisis weeks ago.
He has won just one match, in the first round in Beijing, since reaching the round of 16 at Wimbledon. Then, five consecutive defeats: Alcaraz’s at the ‘Cathedral’ was joined by Marcos Giron, Mackenzie McDonald and Roberto Carballés at the Canada, Cincinnati and US Open, respectively.
Nightmare grew up at home, in Denmark. He opened the Davis Cup tie against Portugal, losing on his home turf to ‘earthling’ Thiago Monteiro, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5) and 6-2. He did not line up the next day, his country lost on aggregate 1-3.
He withdrew from the Laver Cup “because I’m having treatment for my back, I can’t play” and He showed up again last week in Beijing, where he won 6-4, 6-4 against one of the few players worse than him, Félix Auger-Alliassimeto fall in the second round against Grigor Dimitrov.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
