Holger Rune says he needs to ‘get back on track‘ after suffering a third round defeat at the Madrid Open on Sunday.
Rune, who was seeded 11th in the draw, was visibly annoyed with his performance throughout his 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, loss to Tallon Griekspoor. A player who had never beaten a top 20 player at a Masters 1000 or Grand Slam event until today. The Dane was broken just twice in the match during the first and third sets as he hit 17 unforced errors.
The defeat for Rune comes during what has been a mixed clay court season so far. In Monte Carlo, he worked his way to the quarter-finals before being edged out by Jannik Sinner. Then in Munich, he reached the semi-finals before getting hammered 6-2, 6-0, by Jan Lennard-Struff.
“It is of course frustrating when I can’t find my game at all. I can’t lie about that,” the 20-year-old told Danish broadcaster TV2.
“It is very clear that I have not played optimally, so I have to get back on track.
“Congratulations to Tallon – he played a good game and was better at the important moments. I played well below my level and I need to step up.”
Rune’s latest loss occurs on the eve of his 21st birthday. He is currently the second-youngest player in the ATP top 20 after Carlos Alcaraz who is less than a month younger than him.
“I am going back to Denmark and celebrate (his birthday) with the family. The plan was of course to be here (in Madrid) but that’s how it is. I have to go back and have a good time with the family.” He commented.
“Then hopefully I can play better tennis when I turn 21.”
Since the start of 2023, the youngster has won 16 out of 19 clay-court matches against players ranked outside the top 20. However, two of those defeats have happened this month. Of the three Masters 1000 tournaments on clay, Madrid is the only one he has yet to reach the final at.
Meanwhile, Griekspoor will play Andrey Rublev in the fourth round. If he wins, it will be the first time the Dutchman has reached the quarter-finals of a Masters 1000 at the age of 27.
