Pam Shriver wonders whether Holger Rune is the "modern day John McEnroe"
Former tennis pro Pam Shriver recently compared Holger Rune to John McEnroe. Rune registered a dramatic victory over Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters on Saturday.
The 19-year-old overcame a one-set deficit to beat Jannik Sinner 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 and bring himself within one victory of his second ATP Masters 1000 title. Rune is the first teenager to reach the Monte-Carlo final since Rafael Nadal in 2006, as well as the third teenager after Nadal and fellow youngster Carlos Alcaraz to reach ATP Masters 1000 finals on multiple surfaces.
The semifinal was full of drama though, as the Dane was constantly booed by the predominantly Italian crowd who were rooting for Jannik Sinner. The two players also exhanged a rather cold handshake at the end of the match.
Soon after the end of the contest, Pam Shriver took to Twitter to wonder aloud if Holger Rune was the modern-day John McEnroe. Presumably, Shriver was comparing the Dane's expressive nature and relationship with the crowd to McEnroe's infamous on-court tirades.
"Is Rune the modern day Johnny Mac?" Shriver wrote.
Is Rune the modern day Johnny Mac?
"My relationship with the crowd was awesome, I think it was great" - Holger Rune
When asked about his relationship with the crowd, Holger Rune stated in his post-match press conference that it was "awesome" and that it gave him a lot of energy.
"My relationship with the crowd was awesome, if you ask me. I think it was great. You had so much energy on the court, which is fun. I guess if you ask the crowd, I think they would prefer that than two guys looking down and doing nothing," Rune said.
The teenager then discussed his match against Sinner, claiming that it was one of the best tennis matches he had ever played.
"I thought it was a great match. I would probably say not level-wise but one of the best like tennis matches that I have played in my life. You know, it was very, very close," Rune said.
The Dane added that matches against Sinner are always tough because of the level he demands.
"I had chances. There were some great points, great rallies. You know, every time you play Jannik, it's tough matches and you've got to play your best," he added.
Rune will now compete for his second 1000 Masters title by taking on Andrey Rublev in the final on April 16.