20-Year-Old ‘Cocky’ Holger Rune Throws American Tennis’ Bad Boy Into His Own Past as He Salutes the Youngster’s Attitude Before Dishing Out Solid Advice

John McEnroe is the name people would give if asked about the existence of a rude and bratty tennis player. But after his retirement, McEnroe has changed quite a lot. The Superbrat has changed his demeanor. But players who get on the nerves of both their opponents and the fans continue to come up. Holger Rune has such an image because he is abrasive and shows his unfiltered emotions toward his opponents. In fact, Rune’s behavior reminds McEnroe of himself during his prime. 

Rune is only 20 years old and has already come in under the category of players like Nick Kyrgios. His decision not to shake hands with Casper Ruud after their 2022 French Open match was considered rude. This did not sit well with many fans, as they began chastising the teenager.

Holger Rune reminds John McEnroe of himself

John McEnroe recently gave his thoughts in an interview with Diario AS, an online Spanish news outlet. In the interview, McEnroe talked about many players in tennis. McEnroe also discussed the young Holger Rune, who is already in a negative spotlight in the tennis world. 

For the former American player, Rune has the appropriate attitude for a young player. Being cocky and confident is a big boost. “He’s got an attitude, you know, he’s cocky and I believe you need that. Be yourself. I think last year he was disrespectful to Casper [Ruud] in the quarterfinals.”

Read more – ‘He Was So Unsportsmanlike’ – Holger Rune Defends His Decision of Not Shaking Hands With Casper Ruud After the French Open Quarterfinal

Although McEnroe pointed how Rune is similar to how he was during his younger days in tennis, he also said that he changed after some time. As per McEnroe, he would apologize to his opponent if he thought he was disrespectful to them. McEnroe also said that Rune has started doing that. He reasoned that since he’s quite young, his attitude will help him keep up with tennis.  

The American tennis legend said, “You got to show respect at the end of match and I think there were times made where people didn’t think I was being very respectful during the match, but I’d like to think that at the end if I lost, I would pay my respects to my opponent. He’s started to do that. Realized what he needs to do. He’s a kid, he’s 20 years old. He just turned 20. So I like his attitude. I think it’s good for the game.”

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For the American, Rune’s attitude was a breath of fresh air as most players are polite and he didn’t want to see more of that. With some players already wishing for more trash talk in the sport, McEnroe’s wishes seems to have come true.