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Wildcard Holger Rune crashed out in the first round of the ATP 250 Argentina Open. He was beaten by the Argentinian Sebastian Baez. However, for Rune, it was not the match that took the limelight; it was the behavior of the home crowd which he described as “disrespectful”.
After the match, he took to his Instagram and posted a story in which he showed his disapproval of the crowd. He criticized them for yelling at him and deliberately disturbing him during his service games.
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Holger Rune criticizes Argentina Open crowd
Holger Rune crashed out of the opener 7-6,6-3. Even though Rune showed some great tennis in the first set, he wasn’t able to stand Baez’s storm, losing the match in 1 hour 44 minutes.
A disappointed Holger posted an Instagram story after his first-round loss. He started by denouncing the atmosphere of the stadium and blaming the crowd for yelling at him.
He said, “Beautiful tournament Argentina Open but unfortunately not a nice atmosphere when playing match today. I don’t like people yelling shut up to me during the match or hole deliberately making noise when I serve and things like that.”
Even though he appreciated the umpire for trying to handle the situation and the tournament facilities, he called the whole situation disrespectful. “It was disrespectful for me and the sport. All respect to the umpire who nicely tried to appeal for respect.”
Holger Rune received a main draw wild card for Buenos Aires but didn’t love the crowd. pic.twitter.com/FoX4z8LoSN
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) February 9, 2022
Adding on to it, he compared tennis to football (soccer), saying that tennis is not a team sport. “I fully understand that people support their national players but people have to remember that this is not a football match and the player doesn’t have 10 teammates on court to support.”
He ended the story by terming the whole situation as “harassment.” “Support is nice but harassment is no go in sport, schools, wherever,” he concluded.
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Rune, the rising Danish star
Last year, even though he did not win any titles, he got a chance to compete in the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals. There, he only won one of his three matches, against another Argentinian, Juan Manuel Cerundolo.
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USA Today via Reuters
Aug 31, 2021; Flushing, NY, USA; Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune of Denmark hits to Novak Djokovic of Serbia on day two of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
In 2022, the rising player has participated in 4 tournaments till now, including a first-round defeat at the Australian Open 2022. He is currently World No. 88.
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Read More: ‘Always Been My Favorite’: Stefanos Tsitsipas Reveals How Juan Martin del Potro Impacted His Career
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