Picture Credit: Twitter
Holger Rune beat the former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open. The 20-year-old Dane defeated the Serb 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 to a semifinal spot in the ongoing ATP Masters 1000 tournament. Although Djokovic, a six-time champion, won the second set after the players had been forced to leave the court due to rain for just over an hour, Rune refocused and won the match at the Foro Italico in two hours and 19 minutes.
During the match, Holger engaged in a verbal fight with the umpire when a shot returned by Djokovic was not adjudged as out. Despite the halt which saw Rune yelling at the umpire, the latter persisted with his original decision and granted a crucial deuce point to Djokovic. Rune shouted at the chair umpire, reminding him that he had rendered an incorrect call during his match with Alexander Bublik at the Madrid Open too.
Watch the video here:
The 20-year-old can be heard saying, “It’s the umpire that makes me look like the bad guy. It’s always the umpire that makes me look like the bad guy.”
After dropping the second set, the 20-year-old swiftly bounced back and eventually had a two-break lead against the defending champion. In the Italian Open semifinals, Rune will now compete against the winner of the match between Francisco Cerundolo and Casper Ruud.
