Holger Rune: My goal is to win a Slam this year
After defeating Fabio Fognini in the third round of the Italian Open on Sunday, Holger Rune has revealed his goal for the near future. The 20-year-old said he wants to win a Grand Slam title this year.
In the last couple of years, Rune has emerged as one of the top prospects in tennis. The youngster has been coming up with impressive performances in the last few months, as he reached the final of the Monte Carlo Masters last month and also won the Bavarian International.
However, the Danish tennis professional wants to achieve much more in the remainder of this year. After his win against home hope Fabio Fognini in the Round of 32, Rune was asked about his goals for the year in the post-match interview.
"My goal is a Slam for this year. You know, I won a Masters 1000 now in Paris, and I think the next step is a Slam, and I know it takes a lot, and maybe it happens or maybe it doesn't, but I'm going to go for it 100 percent," Rune said.
Holger Rune also added that he's in great shape for the upcoming French Open and the Wimbledon Championships, both physically and mentally.
"We have the French Open and then Wimbledon, you know, right after that, I would say, I feel good physically, I feel good mentally, and I feel so good in my tennis, so I'm trying to push as hard as I can for it, and I hope it's going to be this year," Holger Rune concluded.
Holger Rune stormed into the Round of 16 with a win over Fabio Fognini
Holger Rune is in stellar form at the Italian Open, as he defeated Fabio Fognini in the third round of the clay-court competition. The first set went into a clutch situation after the former World No. 9 managed to make the score 5-4. However, with sheer composure, the 20-year-old recorded his second win in the competition.
The Italian crowd was not happy with Rune, as he was heavily booed during the whole match. From his entry to the end, the jeers and noise didn't stop from the crowd's side. However, the Dane kept his composure and stood focused throughout the entire fixture.
After the match, Holger Rune also called out the crowd by saying that their boos didn't work as he managed to win against his Italian rival. The emerging star will be facing Australia's Alexei Popyrin in his Round of 16 fixture on Tuesday.