Former British No.1 Reacts to Holger Rune’s ‘Towel-Gate’ Incident with a Fan at the Roland Garros

Holger Rune came from behind to beat Quentin Halys 3-6, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 to reach the fourth round of the French Open.

Former British No.1 Reacts to Holger Rune’s ‘Towel-Gate’ Incident with a Fan at the Roland Garros

Holger Rune's towel-gate incident (X/Holger Rune fan)

Holger Rune earned his place in the fourth round of the French Open after beating Frenchman Quentin Halys. However, the real major talking point after the clash was not the Dane’s performance but his outburst with a member of the crowd. Former British No.1 Tim Henman believes that the incident showed what Rune needs to work on his on-court character to get to the next level.

Rune had begun his third-round match on the wrong foot as the home crowd supported Halys in the clash. The Frenchman used the support to claim a first-set 6-3 win, but Rune rallied back into the match. Leading 4-2 in the second set, Rune looked to be in trouble after Halys returned a drop shot from an acute angle.

The Danish star scrambled to his left and managed to stretch and return the ball around the net post for a winner. He reacted by raising a finger in the air while the crowd cheered. It will be one of the shot-of-the-tournament contenders. But in the third set, Rune began to struggle again and vented his frustration towards a fan sitting at the courtside.

At 5-5, Rune appeared to ask the umpire to remove a fan who was sitting close to his towel box. Replay showed that the Dane threw his towel down in frustration in front of the man, who leaned forward and seemed to make a move towards the towel. The 22-year-old told the umpire that the fan tried to grab him, insisting that he wouldn’t play until the fan was forced out of the stadium.

The umpire had no choice but to force the fan out of the stands. It didn’t go well with the crowd as they showed more support to his opponent. But the Barcelona Open champion found a way to overcome, beating Halys 3-6, 6-2, 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 to reach the fourth round.

But after the match, Tim Henman was not pleased with Rune’s handling of the incident with the fan. He revealed during a conversation on TNT Sports that the incident showed the World No.10 needs to improve.

I think the fan is probably looking to get a bit involved, but you could see Rune going over there, giving the advertising hoarding a kick and slamming the towel down, and then going back to it. At the end of the day, it’s that type of attitude that we have seen a lot from Rune, and he has to focus his attention to what is happening between the lines. I take it back to Jack Draper last night playing against Gael Monfils, the French local hero, and he was so resilient and tough and only had one very brief moment of frustration at a change of ends when he let off steam.

At the French Open, players have complained about the treatment they receive from the crowd when playing against a French player. However, Jack Draper exceptionally handled the crowd during his win against Gael Monfils and he was praised for it.

Holger Rune explains the reasons why he wanted the fan to be removed from the stadium

Holger Rune, who claimed his first title of the season at the Barcelona Open was well pleased with his performance against Quentin Halys. However, he was asked during his press conference about the incident with a fan. He explained that he had the right to hit his towel into his towel box:

I told the supervisor that I would prefer him not being there because it was a bit uncomfortable. They said they'd check the video, and I guess if it was true what I said they would get him away. I guess they checked, and I didn't see him for the rest of the match. That was good because it is not a nice feeling when the crowd is getting aggressive with you when I basically did nothing. I am allowed to hit the towel into my towel box. I didn't do anything against him.
Holger Rune
Holger Rune (X/HolgerRunefan)

Rune will face Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round of the French Open. The Danish star leads the Italian 2-0 in their head-to-head record, winning their last meeting at the 2024 Rome Masters.

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