Holger Rune became the most recent seeded player to fall at the Mutua Madrid Open on Monday, but not without some drama that sparked more questions about the maturity of the newly-turned 20-year-old.
Rune was eliminated by Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in a 7-6 (1) 5-7 7-6 (5) thriller. The dramatic clash of ATP young guns was overshadowed, however, by an incident in the first set in which Rune appeared to deliberately smear a ball mark that was the subject of dispute from Davidovich Fokina.
The 23-year-old Spaniard had taken issue with a ball called in and subsequently confirmed by the tournament’s Foxtenn electronic line calling system, as he felt that the ball mark left on the clay court offered evidence that it was, in fact, out. But while Davidovich Fokina engaged in discussion with chair umpire Carlos Bernardes and a supervisor, Rune was seen dragging his feet along in the general area of the ball mark in question.
Although the young Dane was probably trying to operate discreetly, the partisan Spanish crowd quickly caught on, serenading Rune with a series of boos and catcalls that continued during various points throughout the rest of the match. And the fans weren’t alone in their objection to the behavior of the World No. 7.
After the first set, Bernardes issued a warning to Rune, reminding him of a similar chat they had during this year’s Monte Carlo Masters semifinals when Rune’s frequent gesturing to the fans against Jannik Sinner irritated the mild-mannered Italian and allegedly prompted an icy handshake. Even 1973 French Open quarterfinalist Paolo Bertolucci, who was providing commentary on the match for Sky Sports, weighed in, expressing that “[Rune] behaves like a spoiled child.”
For his part, Rune seemed unfazed by the negativity surrounding his actions. On Twitter, he claimed that the crowd simply didn’t understand that you can’t overrule an electronic line call and protested the length of time the discussion had taken. When asked about what he would do if faced with the same situation in the future, Rune joked that he’ll “take a nap” next time.
It’s a credit to Davidovich Fokina that he was able to block out the noise and maintain the focus needed in order to pull out a narrow third round victory. As for Rune, this pattern of less-than-sportsmanlike behavior is creating somewhat of a reputation, but he would hardly be the first young talent to battle maturity issues early in his career. Some players have managed to overcome them pretty well.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
