Holger Rune, After Wimbledon Exit, Claims He Would’ve Defeated Nicolas Jarry ‘9 Out of 10 Times’ Without Injury Issues

Holger Rune, the quarterfinalist at 2023 Wimbledon, crashed out of the tournament after a five-set defeat to Nicolas Jarry in the first round.

Holger Rune, After Wimbledon Exit, Claims He Would’ve Defeated Nicolas Jarry ‘9 Out of 10 Times’ Without Injury Issues

Nicolas Jarry, Holger Rune (Image via X/Jose Morgado, Holger Rune HQ)

Holger Rune was slowly moving toward securing his first-round win at Wimbledon. But he was one of the seeded players who failed to reach the second round.

On June 30, the Dane couldn’t capitalize on his 2-0 lead, losing the next three sets and eventually the match with a 4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 scoreline against an unseeded Nicolas Jarry. The Chilean ace tied the head-to-head record against Rune to 1-1 as he had lost their match in Basel last year.

Rune received treatment on his knee in the fourth set and from that moment onward, he struggled to serve well. Later at the press conference, the World No.8 said he would have defeated the 29-year-old if he had not dealt with the knee issue.

Under normal conditions, I’d beat him nine times out of ten, with all due respect to Nicolas Jarry. Obviously, I didn’t have it easy today with my knee, but yes, it wasn’t a great match.

Jarry will next face Learner Tien. The runner-up of the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals knocked out compatriot Nishesh Basavareddy in straight sets to schedule the clash with the World No.143. Jarry had reached the third round here in 2023 and was ranked inside the top 20 last year but was dropped out of the top 150 in May this year.

Due to this, he had to play the qualifying rounds to book a spot in the main draw. Before beating Rune, Jarry had never secured a win in his previous five-set matches. Jarry produced his best Grand Slam performance at the 2023 French Open by progressing to the fourth round. He has won three singles titles, the last of which he lifted in 2023 at the Geneva Open.

Holger Rune lost two Grand Slam tournaments because of pain in his knee

At this year’s Madrid Open, Holger Rune handed a walkover to Flavio Cobolli in his opening round due to a knee problem as he twisted it during the warm-up. Last year during the US Open, Rune blamed the pain on that knee after his straight-set defeat to Brandon Nakashima in his first round.

Holger Rune (X/Holger Rune fans)
Holger Rune (X/Holger Rune fans)

This is the second time in a Grand Slam tournament, that Rune blamed the knee issues after his defeat in the first rounds. At the Hamburg Open last year, he retired mid-match during his quarterfinal match against Arthur Fils because of the pain in that area.

I’ve had it before, but it’s been a while since then, I don’t know. I know what it is, and especially playing extremely low on the grass, that area can be bothersome. Obviously, I didn’t expect him to come back, but that can happen. We’ll see, I’ll check with the doctor and physio now and make a decision. It’s something I’ve experienced before, we need to verify it with the medical staff.

Holger Rune said at the press conference

Rune was the quarterfinalist at Wimbledon 2023, losing that match to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz. Last year, 24-time Grand Slam champion and eventual runner-up Novak Djokovic knocked him out of the fourth round.

He has not yet progressed to a Major semifinal. Rune produced his best performance in a Major event when he reached the quarterfinals of the French Open in 2022 and 2023 and at Wimbledon in 2023.

The former World No.4 is the winner of five singles titles. He ended his trophy drought at this year’s Barcelona Open by defeating five-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz. It was his first title since the 2023 Munich Open. Before Wimbledon, Rune was defeated in the quarterfinals of the Queen’s Club Championships by Roberto Bautista Agut.

Also read: Stefanos Tsitsipas Casts Huge Doubt on his Future After Retiring from his Opening Round at Wimbledon