"I love Novak Djokovic because he has amazing returns" - Holger Rune shares hilarious Valentine's Day message for Serb
Holger Rune professed his love for Novak Djokovic on Valentine's Day due to the Serb's uncanny ability to return opponents' serves.
Over the course of his career, Djokovic has cemented his reputation as one of the ATP Tour's most feared returners. The Serb has won 33.7% of first serve return points and 55.1% of second serve return points.
Among the World No. 1's biggest rivals, only Rafael Nadal can boast of better numbers in both departments. Rune himself has won 29% of first serve return points and 50.3% of second serve return points.
The 20-year-old, who is currently participating at the 2024 Rotterdam Open, recently featured in a Valentine's Day celebration video alongside other ATP stars playing at the ATP 250 event. In the video, the players revealed the names of the peers they love.
Rune's choice was 24-time Grand Slam winner Djokovic.
"I love Novak (Djokovic) because he has amazing returns and I love to return also." Rune said in the video.
After Rune's statement, the video showed Djokovic returning Jannik Sinner's serve at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals. The 36-year-old won against the Italian in the final of the year-end tournament, 6-3, 6-3.
Holger Rune set to face Alexander Shevchenko next in Rotterdam
Holger Rune's Rotterdam Open campaign got off to a fine start as he won against Roman Safiullin in the Round of 32. The third seed won the first set 6-4, but was outclassed by Safiullin 2-6 in the second.
Ultimately, though, Rune dominated the third set 6-1 to reach the Round of 16, where he will now face Alexander Shevchenko. Shevchenko, who became a citizen of Kazakhstan in January, defeated Zhang Zhizhen 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in his first-round match.
So far, the 2024 campaign has been a chaotic one for Rune. He got off to a bright start at the Brisbane International, where he reached the final before being beaten by Grigor Dimitrov. However, at the Australian Open, eighth-seeded Rune suffered one of the shocks of the tournament in the second round, losing to Arthur Cazaux, 7-6(4), 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Rune's camp underwent wholesale changes after the Australian Open's conclusion. The World No. 7 decided to sever his partnership with Roger Federer's ex-coach Severin Luthi, having appointed him less than two months ago. Around a week later, Boris Becker announced his departure from Rune's camp.
Rune's mother, Aneke, also stepped down from her position as Rune's press manager as she handed over the responsibility to International Management Group (IMG).