“He was brave and I was not active”- Novak Djokovic on why he lost to Holger Rune at the 2022 Paris Masters final
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Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune
The Serbian legend Novak Djokovic was denied his third consecutive ATP title by the 19-year-old Holger Rune of Denmark who was looking for his first Masters1000 title. It also ended his 13-match winning streak since his win at Tel Aviv and Astana. He went on praise the Danish teen sensation while being composed during the match as Djokovic opened up on his loss.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion was defeated by the Danish player in three sets 6-3,3-6,5-7 in two hours and 32 minutes of play. Djokovic had won the first set in a comprehensive manner and looked as if he would register a comfortable win. But the tables turned with Rune looking in complete control and owning the game as he played some amazing shots that were totally on a different level. Both the players kept pushing till the final moments but Rune ended the game with one of the longest duration games that went on for almost 17 minutes of play.
The former World No 1 was quite disappointed with his loss and felt he had chances but couldn’t win over them for not being active despite having five break points. But he did not budge away from appreciating his opponent for putting up a great fight with utmost dignity and composure. He congratulated him on the win and admitted that Rune was quite brave enough with his game.
Djokovic went on to say that “What impressed me more was his fighting spirit and his composure. He had the week of his life, he deserved it. I had so many chances. There were some of these moments where matches chose a side. He was brave and I was not active enough in these moments.“
Holger Rune makes his way into the Top 10 of the ATP rankings
Prior to the start of the tournament, Holger Rune was ranked 18th. He defeated Stan Wawrinka, Hubert Hurkacz, and Andrey Rublev in the earlier stages of the competition. His breakthrough performances started with beating World No 1, Carlos Alcaraz, in the quarterfinals, Felix Auger Aliassime in the semifinals, and Djokovic in the finals.
He went on to create history to become became the first man to defeat five Top-10 players on his way to the maiden Masters1000 title. With his win, he will see a drastic jump in his rankings as he makes his debut in the Top 10 overall ATP rankings. With the latest news of Alcaraz withdrawing from the Year-end championship, Holger Rune may stand a chance to qualify as he is one of the alternatives on standby for an injured or withdrawn player ahead of the start of the tournament.
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Prateek Pradhan
(601 Articles Published)