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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

It was the 2022 Paris Masters. Danish tennis sensation, Holger Rune was up against the mighty Novak Djokovic in the summit clash of the tournament. Rune was having a breakthrough tournament and the final against the Serb was the biggest match of his career. He shocked one and all as he went on to defeat Djokovic in a three-setter thriller to clinch his first-ever Masters title. Exactly a year later, Rune remembered his special victory in Paris.

Fast-forward now, the 20-year-old is one of the top players in the world. He has entered the top 10 of the ATP rankings and has had a brilliant season. Here’s what he said about his victory against Djokovic.

Holger Rune reminisces about his Paris Masters victory against Novak Djokovic

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Rune is in Paris where he’s participating at the Paris Masters. Before the tournament, he was a guest on the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast where he talked about defeating Djokovic in one of the biggest tennis tournaments. As Rune went on to reveal his thoughts, he became candid in his conversation.

via Reuters

Talking about it, he said, “The morning before the final was very different compared to any other Sunday’s that I had in my life. I was very nervous and was thinking a lot and you know my coaches were really good to talk with me, calmed me down a little bit, and you know try to make me believe that it was a normal match even though we all knew it wasn’t.”

Further, talking about Djokovic, Rune said, “It’s tough because he’s I think so complete a player that there is no he has no weaknesses basically so at the end I just had to dig so deep and be brief because he’s not going to miss so I had to really you know play my best tennis.”

In the aftermath of that match, there were rumors surrounding Djokovic’s physical condition as a potential reason for his defeat. However, Djokovic clarified about his situation later.

DIVE DEEPER: Having Earned the Reputation of a Fearsome Fighter, Holger Rune Revisits ‘Math’ Memories to Justify His Tennis Personality

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What did Djokovic say about his injuries post-Paris Masters defeat to Rune?

Although some reports suggested that Djokovic played the final with injuries, the Serb was quick to dismiss them. He was of the opinion that he didn’t want to use it as an excuse for his shocking result.

Opening up about the situation, the World Number 1 said, “No, everything was okay. I mean, it’s normal that when you play day after day and you have some tightness here and there.”

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Meanwhile, coming to the ongoing Paris Masters, Djokovic is the top seed while Rune is seeded sixth. However, both are placed in the same quarter and will potentially meet in the last eight. Can Djokovic avenge last year’s defeat against Rune this year? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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