The 19-year-old Danish tennis star, Holger Rune, is a fantastic tennis player, but he is not a fan favorite due to his on-court behavior. He has a reputation similar to that of the tennis world’s bad boys, Nick Kyrgios and John McEnroe. Having a fiery on-court persona is a double-edged sword. While Kyrgios’ fans have often found his behavior to be entertaining, McEnroe has faced his fair share of negative crowd behavior during his career. Rune is facing a similar problem as he is increasingly becoming the pantomime villain during his matches.
The 19-year-old recently received jeers at the Italian Open after failing to convert an overhead smash against Fabio Fognini. Along with the spectators, the Italian tennis star was also caught aback when they witnessed the shot go in vain.
Fognini was taken aback seeing Holger Rune missing a smash
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During the match, the Danish tennis star and the soon-to-be 36-year-old tennis veteran were trying their best to defeat each other. However, in the middle of the game, there was a time when the Italian tennis player took the lead, leaving Rune in distress. Adding to the intense action on the court, the crowd went bonkers when Rune mis-hit a shot.
Can you believe it? 😳#IBI23 pic.twitter.com/PE4ygibRk7
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 14, 2023
When Rune was trying to take the lead, he botched a straightforward smash. Fognini was amazed that he had managed to irritate the 19-year-old tennis player. Additionally, the video of Fognini’s incredible response was shared on the official Twitter account of Tennis TV.
The Italian crowd, on the other hand, was cheering for their home player, Fognini, and was very vociferous about their support during the match. In addition, the tennis star from Denmark was jeered by the audience even before the game began.
Italian crowd booed Rune, before his face-off with Fognini
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A video of Rune entering the tennis court was posted by The Tennis Letter. The world’s seventh-ranked tennis player, though, was booed by the audience before the match began. It was a response to Rune’s contentious actions at the Madrid Open when he was seen trying to erase a mark on the court.
Holger Rune was booed as he walked onto court to play Fabio Fognini
I can’t say I’ve ever seen anything like this when a player walks onto court
For a player to be booed mid-match is 1 thing, but to have this resentment before a match starts is wild
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) May 14, 2023
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Despite playing in front of an imposing audience, Rune used his unique talent to play his best game. He eventually came out victorious against Fognini, overcoming the stress of playing against both the opponent and the hostile crowd.
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