French Open: Inspiring Memory of Limping Roger Federer Becomes the Turning Point of Holger Rune’s Roland Garros Campaign

Who doesn’t love a comeback story? Holger Rune delivered a blockbuster moment for us in his second-round clash against Flavio Cobolli in the French Open. After dropping the lead, he was on the cusp of defeat. He came back at the last moment to take the glory and give Cobolli nightmares. Rune managed to ensure the comeback with the help of his biggest idol, Roger Federer.

Rune found himself losing two sets after he won the first two. The third set saw both players go toe-to-toe as it went to a tiebreak. The Danish were down by 0-5 but managed to complete a comeback and won the match 10-7. After the clash, he talked about how he managed to win. “When I found myself down 0-5 in the super tiebreak I turned my brain off. That rest gave me confidence. I remembered Federer, when he faced Sandgren in Australia and came back. Roger was always very relaxed when playing and I told myself to relax. Thanks to that I began to have more freedom in my shots.”

Federer lost two sets to Tennys Sandgren after winning the first one at the 2020 Australian Open. However, his calm demeanor helped him take the victory. During matches, one could not discern how Federer felt. He always had a stoic expression, regardless of the state of the match. One can imagine the Swiss Maestro handled the pressure of the game better than most, and it helped him become a legend. 

As the Danish youngster sealed a very close victory, he managed to control his nerves with the help of his idol. Although he’s a Federer fanboy through and through, Rune has channeled the spirit of another Big Three member to claim victory in an important match.

Holger Rune finds his inner Serbinator to take victory with the odds stacked against him

Rune was set to face Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth of the 2023 Wimbledon. Given his vast expertise over Rune, the audience expected Dimitrov to win. However, the then-ATP number 6 demonstrated why he was in the top ten. Despite dropping the first set, Rune would overcome the Bulgarian player in the following three sets.

“I went into beast mode and thought of Djokovic,” he stated in the post-match presser. “I pretended I was him. I was focused and totally locked in. With that mindset I knew I wasn’t going to miss a ball. He had to hit the lines. I felt that even if he did I would’ve been there.”

Rune has managed to find motivation while channelizing his admiration for two of the greatest players in the sport. Although a self-stated Federer fan, the Dane used Djokovic to find victory. Will we ever see him use Rafael Nadal’s memory to win?