Mats Wilander gives verdict on Holger Rune’s future Major titles pitting him against rival Carlos Alcaraz following his latest showing at the French Open
He also believes Rune's match against Casper Ruud, who is from Norway, is going to be beneficial and important for the sport because of where they come from.
Follow Us
L-Mats Wilander R -Holger Rune (Images via Twitter)
Holger Rune is all set to play his second consecutive French Open quarterfinals when he will lock horns with 4th-seed Casper Ruud on Wednesday (June 7) on Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris. Rune overcame the 23rd-seed Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) in a tough fourth round. Despite losing the fourth set and on the cusp of losing the fifth also, the Dane made a terrific comeback to clinch the fifth set 7-6(10-7).
Rune‘s match impressed former Swedish tennis star Mats Wilander, who heaped praise on the Dane, claiming he can win multiple Grand Slams in the future and can become a great player one day. Though Wilander believes Rune loses his concentration a bit, despite that, he is mature when it comes to his tactics.
“So he’s very mature in terms of the tactics in a tennis match, mentally, he’s very mature, but I feel like he might be losing his concentration here and there,” Wilander told Eurosport. “But I’m comparing him with Carlos Alcaraz, who doesn’t seem to lose concentration that much. So Rune is going to be a great player one day.”
Wilander then said he thinks the 20-year-old will win Grand Slams because he can switch on and off and comes back when it matters the most. He also believes Rune’s match against Casper Ruud, who is from Norway, is going to be beneficial and important for the sport because of where they come from.
Holger Rune’s head-to-head record against Casper Ruud
Rune arrived at the tournament after losing to Daniil Medvedev in the final of the Italian Open 7-5, 7-5. Upon entering the clay-court Grand Slam, the sixth-seed defeated the likes of Christopher Eubanks, Gael Monfils (Walkover), Genaro Alberto Olivieri, and Francisco Cerundolo. This year, he reached the finals of Monte Carlo and the Italian Open.
Prior to the Roland Garros, Rune knocked out Ruud in the semifinal of the Italian Open. However, these two players will also be repeating last year’s French Open quarterfinal. It was Ruud who emerged victorious 6-1, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 and later advanced to the final and lost to Rafael Nadal in straight sets.
This year, Ruud ended Nicholas Jarry’s run in the fourth round to make it to the second successive quarterfinals. And talking about Ruud and Rune’s head-to-head record, it was the former who leads it with 4-1 of their five meetings. As mentioned before, in their last meeting at the Italian Open, Rune finally clinched a victory against the Norwegian.
In case you missed!
Stay Updated!
Gouri Das
(4734 Articles Published)