Rune, after his defeat against Martínez: "The crowd has not had any impact on my tennis"
The Dane, who praised Pedro Martínez's game after more than three hours of battle, clashed with the Spanish crowd in a very tense match worthy of a Davis Cup tie.
Holger Rune showed his best and worst self once again. The Dane found his tennis when things were toughest in his match against Pedro Martínez, but his energy abandoned him and cramps appeared just when he had the match in his hands, with a match point opportunity, only to lose in the third set tiebreak (1-6, 6-4, 6-7(3)). Throughout the match, he also made constant gestures towards the crowd at the Puente Romano de Marbella. Aware that this was a Davis Cup tie, he tried to play mind games with both the Spanish audience and himself.
However, this move backfired as he lost his composure at one point and not only hit a ball but two out of bounds after losing his service in the second set. Despite this unsportsmanlike act, he was only given a single warning, much to the displeasure of David Ferrer, who couldn't fathom why throwing two balls off the court resulted in such a light punishment.
But that wasn't the only controversial gesture from the eleventh-ranked player worldwide; at another moment in the match, he hit a ball towards Martínez's body that had gone way out. Clearly unintentional, he immediately apologized, yet part of the Spanish team demanded a second warning that could have cost him a point. He also had a heated exchange with a fan during a critical moment of the game.
Impressed by Martínez's defensive play
At some points during the match, especially in the first set, Rune seemed more focused on interacting with the crowd than battling Martínez on the court. However, in the post-match press conference, the Dane denied this, stating: "The crowd had no impact on my game."
Moreover, he also used the brief press conference to express surprise at Pedro Martínez's last-minute replacement with Jaume Munar: "It surprised me, but it didn't disrupt my match preparation."
He also praised the play of the Valencian player, acknowledging their clashes during the match: "Martínez defended very well, performed excellently, and played better than me in the final stretch of the match", concludes Holger Rune, who was one point away from leading his country to the Davis Cup finals and is once again under scrutiny for his behavior.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Rune, tras su derrota ante Martínez: "La grada no ha tenido ningún impacto en mi tenis"