Holger Rune cut a confident figure Tuesday at Wimbledon, where he cruised through the first round of The Championships. The Danish star was in control throughout his straight-sets victory against Soonwoo Kwon and looked ready to make a push at the grass-court major.
It is not long ago that the 21-year-old suffered one of his most difficult defeats. Rune was one game from defeating Alexander Zverev in the Roland Garros fourth round. Zverev found a way to win and nearly claimed the title, while Rune went home.
The 2023 Nitto ATP Finals competitor did not allow the loss to keep him down.
“I think it's important to take the learning from it. If you just avoid it 100 per cent you're kind of hiding the truth a little bit so I think it's important to learn from it, but at the same time move on because you can't stay and [not] reset for like a week,” Rune told ATPTour.com. “Then it'll just get to you and hurt you even more and do not good for you. So I think it's about taking the learning quickly and talking about it. Then just move on and improve.”
Watch ATP Origins: The Rise Of Holger Rune
There were plenty of positives. Rune has made clear since his early days on the ATP Tour that he wants to triumph at the highest levels of the sport and he was on the verge of defeating someone who reached the final and had opportunities to defeat Carlos Alcaraz for the Coupe des Mousquetaires.
“Definitely it was much better that tournament than the rest of the tournaments I played in the clay season. I also felt like Monaco and the French Open were the tournaments where I was putting the best level together and definitely performing like that in the French Open gave me a lot of motivation,” Rune said. “But at the same time, super disappointed because I wanted to do better.
“But it's always good to see the guy you lose to make the final and have a chance to win. So the good thing is it's getting better. I'm improving and [I have] just got to trust the process.”
Rune reached a career-high No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings last August, but is now World No. 15. That is not something that detracts from his confidence, though.
“No, no, no, I still have the same belief and there is still hope for the tournament as I would have if I was higher seeded,” Rune said. “I have extremely high ambitions for myself and I will try to live up to them.”
In discussing his opening-round win against Kwon, Rune admitted to feeling nerves early on.
“There are always nerves when you enter an event like this. There are a few doubts, there's everything,” Rune said. “But I had a good preparation and you've got to trust that 100 per cent and trust that you've done the work outside the scene and now it's just perform, fight and stay in there and believe in yourself. That's what I have to do right now.”
Rune will next play Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild, who rallied from two sets down in his opening match. The Dane will try to advance even further than he did at SW19 last year, when he battled to the quarter-finals.
“[The tournament is] very special. It's so historical,” Rune said of Wimbledon. “I had great memories last year making the quarters and that's pretty much it. It means a lot to be back.”
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