World number 7 Holger Rune will not participate in the ATP 250 Los Cabos tournament next week. The Danish player will take a short break from the tennis court following a couple of early eliminations, hoping for better results in Acapulco. Rune has a record of 8 wins and 4 losses this season, reaching the final in Brisbane during the first week before being eliminated early in the Australian Open.
At the beginning of the season, the young Dane had two well-known coaches supporting him. However, he decided to part ways with Boris Becker and Severin Luthi and instead added fellow Dane Kenneth Carlsen to his coaching staff. Rune was the top-ranked player in Brisbane, aiming to win his first title of the season.
In order to secure a place in the final, the Dane defeated Max Purcell, Alexander Shevchenko, James Duckworth, and Roman Safiullin. He then faced Grigor Dimitrov in the title match, but unfortunately suffered a 7-6, 6-4 defeat after two hours and 16 minutes of play.
Dimitrov, who had more experience, managed to take control of the crucial moments in the match, ultimately winning his first title since 2017. The Bulgarian player served with a success rate of 70% and was able to overpower Rune on his second serve. Despite offering his opponent nine opportunities, the young Dane fought hard and managed to save eight break points. However, he lost a closely contested first set and was broken once in the second set, resulting in a runner-up finish.
Following his performance in Brisbane, Rune traveled to Melbourne to compete in the Australian Open. In the first round, he defeated Yoshihito Nishioka in a four-set match that lasted three hours and 25 minutes, with a final score of 6-2, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4. Nishioka managed to recover after losing the first set, winning the second set but missing his chances in the third. Rune took control in the fourth set, securing an early break and serving well to secure the victory.
Unfortunately, Rune’s campaign in the Australian Open ended in the second round with a tough loss to world number 122 Arthur Cazaux. Despite battling minor knee issues, the young Dane put up a good fight. However, he was unable to recover from losing his serve three times and was unable to overcome Cazaux’s strong performance.
After returning to Europe, Rune received a wild card entry into the ATP 250 event in Montpellier. In the second round, he faced Pablo Llamas Ruiz and defeated the Spaniard with a score of 7-5, 6-2. In the quarter-finals, he faced Michael Mmoh and won with a score of 7-6, 6-4, losing his serve only once and breaking Mmoh’s serve twice. However, in the semi-finals, Rune had to retire due to arm pain while trailing 6-3, 4-1, not wanting to risk further injury before upcoming tournaments.
Before heading to Rotterdam, Rune participated in the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in Oslo. In the first round, he faced Roman Safiullin and emerged victorious with a score of 6-4, 2-6, 6-1. However, in the second round, Alexander Shevchenko avenged Rune’s previous loss in Brisbane by defeating him with a score of 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, thus ending the Dane’s campaign in the tournament.
After taking a week off, Rune is expected to compete in the ATP 500 event in Acapulco, where he will face tough opponents such as Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alex de Minaur, Casper Ruud, and Grigor Dimitrov.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org