"I hope we make less drama this year" - Holger Rune ahead of Casper Ruud French Open showdown
Familiar foes Holger Rune and Casper Ruud have set up a quarterfinal showdown at the French Open in a repeat from last year's tournament.
After booking his spot in the last eight, Rune took some time to reflect on the happenings from the last time he and Ruud last stepped out on the court in Paris. Speaking at his post-match press conference, Rune said he hoped for "less drama" heading into the contest.
Tempers ran high during the duo's last quarterfinal contest, which saw Ruud edge out his younger counterpart in four keenly-contested sets. Rune said he has played the Norwegian, who he respects as a player, on a couple more occasions since and was looking forward to Wednesday's (June 7) clash.
"Yeah, I mean, obviously there was drama last year and I hope we can make less drama this year," Holger Rune said. "We played each other in Rome. It was a good match, I think."
"Casper Ruud's a good player," he continued. "I respect him. There's no problem. We're good. Should be a match without problems, hopefully. Just looking forward for it."
The 20-year-old Dane said he would take a few lessons from his loss last year and hoped to turn the script on his opponent.
"You know, obviously I lost last year." Holger Rune said. "And it's gonna be the same scenario, we play in a quarterfinal, maybe night session again, maybe not. We'll see. Hopefully I can turn it around and make it different this year."
Casper Ruud and Holger Rune renew rivalry at French Open
Casper Ruud and Holger Rune have crossed paths on the ATP Tour on five occasions, the first of which was a second-round encounter at the Monte Carlo Masters two years ago.
Incidentally, all of the duo's meetings have come on the red dirt. Ruud currently leads his opponent in the head-to-head with a comfortable 4-1 margin. Other than the Monte Carlo Masters 2021 and again a year later as well as last year's French Open win, he has also beaten the Dane in Bastad.
That said, it was Rune who took posted his win against Ruud at the Rome Masters earlier this year. The youngster toiled hard to best his opponent in three sets.
Playing here at the French Open, Rune will have the extra motivation to avenge his loss from last year. The duo are slated to take court on Wednesday.