Enraged Holger Rune yells at chair umpire after line call costs him service game in Italian Open QF against Novak Djokovic
Holger Rune and Novak Djokovic’s 2023 Italian Open quarterfinal match did not disappoint in terms of on-court drama.
On Wednesday, May 17, Rune and Djokovic took to the Center Court in Rome for their last eight clash. The Dane put on a sublime display in the opening set while Djokovic looked out of sorts.
Rune broke the Serb in his opening service game and gained a 2-0 lead. The 20-year-old did not falter from there and instead secured an insurance break to give himself a 5-1 lead. He closed out the opener by holding at 5-2.
The second set proved to be a neck-and neck battle in the first five games. As Holger Rune served to hold in the sixth game, the linesperson made a contentious judgement at 40-30.
Rune, who thought Djokovic’s ball had landed out but had not been called, was quick to challenge the decision, asking chair umpire Mohmed Lahyani to intervene. Much to the World No. 7's frustration, however, Lahyani sided with the original decision and granted a crucial deuce point to Djokovic.
As it turns out, the World No. 1 went on to snatch the break for a 4-2 lead. He then proceeded to hold his serve to get to 5-2, which aggravated his opponent to no end.
Rune lashed out at the chair umpire during the changeover and claimed that he made a similar decision during his Madrid Open match against Alexander Bublik.
"This is every time we play. You don’t see it. Ok. In Madrid against Bublik. There was a ball. I have clear, and you don’t see it. You’re an absolute joke, man!" Rune screamed at Lahyani.
The Dane further asked Lahyani to respect players and claimed that umpires always walk away scot-free while fines are imposed when players make mistakes.
"Answer my question. Do you get punished when you do a mistake? Because when we do a mistake, we get a fine. You don't. So, please respect the players," Rune said.
Holger Rune's mentor Patrick Mouratoglou then intervened in an effort to calm the furious 20-year-old down. Rune, however, went on to to accuse Lahyani of always painting him in bad light.
“This guy is a joke. This guy is a joke. 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,” the Dane said.
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While Rune eventually managed to break back, the second set concluded in Novak Djokovic’s favor 6-4 after an extended rain delay.
Holger Rune defeats Novak Djokovic at the 2023 Italian Open
Novak Djokovic fell short in his Italian Open title defense as a determined Holger Rune knocked out the World No. 1 in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old quickly recovered from his second set loss and went on to gain a two-break advantage over the defending champion in the third. The match concluded in favor of the Paris Masters champion with a score of 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.
Rune will now face the winner of the clash between Francisco Cerundolo and Casper Ruud in the semifinals of the Italian Open.