"No idea what Holger Rune's trying to do... It's still very immature" - Dane receives former World No. 1's criticism after Paris Masters exit
Holger Rune was defeated in straight sets by Alexander Zverev in the 2024 Paris Masters semifinals. Former World No. 1 Jim Courier criticized the Dane's gameplay, expressing confusion over Rune's approach on the court.
On Saturday (Nov. 2), third seed Zverev took on 13th seed Rune for an exciting semifinal clash at the Bercy Arena. The German closed out the first set comfortably and was on his way with a 5-3 lead in the second set.
Rune, however, held his serve to make it 4-5 before breaking Zverev for the first time in the match to tie the set at 5-5. Eventually, the set went into a tiebreaker where Zverev closed out the match with a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory after one hour and 47 minutes.
Former World No. 4 Holger Rune has a 45-23 record this season. His only final came in Brisbane, where he finished second to Grigor Dimitrov.
Commenting on the 21-year-old's performance, former World No. 1 Courier shared a blunt assessment of his approach on the court.
"I, for one, have no idea what he's trying to do out here. It's just all happening instinctively - it's like a full-blown jazz exploration out here. No rhyme, no rhythm. There's a lot of great things happening, it's just all scattershot and that is not a recipe for long-term success," Courier said during Rune's semifinal in Paris.
"It's still a very immature game. If he wants to be with the big boys consistently, he's gonna have to find something he can rely on rather than throwing paint against the wall and seeing what it looks like when it's all said and done. He just needs a sense of order - doesn't have it," he added.
"Holger Rune is a champion" - Alexander Zverev praises his opponent after Paris Masters SF
During the post-match interview, Alexander Zverev praised Holger Rune and expressed his pleasure at reaching his second final at the Paris Masters. He said:
"I feel like I made it a little difficult for myself but he is a champion. It is probably his favourite tournament and favourite court, but I am happy to be in my second final here. I am looking forward to it."
Rune won the tournament in 2022 and faced a quarterfinal exit last year. Meanwhile, Zverev reached the final of the event in 2020 where he faced a defeat against Daniil Medvedev.
Zverev, who will climb to World No. 2 on Monday, will face Ugo Humbert in the final of the 2024 Paris Masters.