Novak Djokovic believes Holger Rune ‘feeds off’ the energy of the crowd as he backs the Dane to clinch Grand Slam titles in future

Novak Djokovic was in great praise of Holger Rune after knocking the Dane out of the Paris Masters to move on to the semis.

Novak Djokovic believes Holger Rune ‘feeds off’ the energy of the crowd as he backs the Dane to clinch Grand Slam titles in future

Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune. (credits: Tennis365, Tennis.com)

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic has started the Paris Masters in the same form where he left it at the 2023 US Open. In the hope of securing his top spot in the World Rankings, Djokovic looks to add to his title tally for this season. 

He will take on Andrey Rublev in the semi-finals. However, more interestingly, after his 7-5, 6-7, 6-4 win over Holger Rune, he was in great praise for the youngster after their matchup on Friday. 

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After an impressive win over Daniel Altmaier on Thursday, Rune talked about how much impact the Paris crowd has had on his game, making it easy to play for him. 

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Novak Djokovic, who has been booed quite often in his first two matches, had a lot to say about their match. But still, Nole managed to win against Rune, acknowledging the Dane’s style of play. As per the 24-time Grand Slam title champion himself, Rune feeds off the support of the crowd, and it will help him achieve a lot of success in the future. 

He has everything, he feeds off the energy of the public, he is very dynamic. I saw his previous matches, I knew he was in good shape. Boris (Becker) has contributed positively to stabilizing his game.

Novak Djokovic said via We Love Tennis

Continuing his train of thoughts, he further added: 

We all know he has a bright future ahead of him. I know he wants to win Grand Slams and he is one of those players who has the ability. I hope we will have these kinds of exciting matches again.

What was Novak Djokovic’s take on his last match?

Novak Djokovic had been suffering from stomach pain for the three days ahead of his match against Tallon Griekspoor, which kept him out of the tennis court, however still, the Serb managed to come off with a win. 

Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune share a moment with each other after their match. (credits: USA Today)

At the post-match interview, Novak said:

I know the feeling that I try to impose on the other players, by forcing them to always hit one more shot. This is the case for us and that’s why we are always neck and neck. He is so strong in many areas of the game. On the fly, he has a fantastic hand, a big serve, a kicked serve.

With his body not as hydrated, Nole managed to have the last laugh against Rune, avenging the final loss last season he faced at this very stage.

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