Holger Rune was delighted after upsetting Novak Djokovic by 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the ongoing Italian Open on Wednesday. The young Danish player broke the veteran’s serve in the opening game of the match to put himself in front and then went on to win the first set by 6-2.
Djokovic, however, made a good comeback to win the second set but Rune kept his calm against the World No.1 in the deciding set. The youngster feels it’s a really big win for him and he was delighted with his complete performance.
This is Rune’s second back-to-back ATP 1000 Masters win against the Serb as he wrapped up the match in two hours and 19 minutes at the Foro Italico.
“It’s really a big win for me,” said Rune in his on-court interview. “Obviously I did it last year in Paris as well, but every match is a huge challenge for me when I play against Novak. He’s one of the greatest that’s ever played the game. I knew I had to be at my best and I said it yesterday, and I was today. I’m super proud of myself and I enjoyed every moment out there.”
In fact, with this win, Rune improved his ATP Head2Head tally to 2-1 against Djokovic as he continues to impress on the tour. The Dane added he tries to keep his feet on the front as he still has a long way to go.
“I stay humble of course. I have a lot to achieve,” said the Dane. “I think you should always be humble. I think I am, I hope so and I hope people see me this way. I’m a huge fighter on the court and I leave everything when I play my matches. I’m super proud I was able to get the victory today. I had to fight hard and play my best tennis.
The youngster also spoke glowingly of Novak Djokovic and revealed he is a big fan of him.
“Huge credit to Novak, I’m a big fan of his. He’s a huge inspiration and I wish him all the best.”
Rune added he was able to hit good shots and stay brave at crucial stages of the match when Djokovic was trying to put him under pressure. Ergo, he was able to reap rewards for staying courageous in the big moments of the game.
“I know at the end, when Novak goes into this mode, nothing can come at him and he plays really free and aggressive,” said Rune. “When you want to close the match, it’s really difficult. He puts a lot of pressure on you, but I managed to hit some good shots and stay brave. That was the most important.
“I think I was a little less brave in the second set but after the rain delay, I managed to come out and be brave even though I lost the set. I just told myself, ‘Okay, it’s all right, I just have to keep going.’”
Holger Rune will take on Casper Ruud in the semifinal of Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
