"Play free, enjoy it" - Holger Rune delighted after mounting dramatic comeback against Casper Ruud in Italian Open SF
Holger Rune manufactured a dramatic comeback midway through the second set to overcome Casper Rudd 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 and advance to his maiden Italian Open final.
Rune decided to take a medical timeout and looked to be in some distress as he trailed 2-3 in the second set with Rudd enjoying the upper hand. Not to be undone, the Dane displayed remarkable resilience as he came into his own even as Casper Ruud appeared to wilt under pressure in the final set.
Rune revealed that he began to play like he had nothing to lose which led to an incredible turnaround in fortunes with the second-set scoreline reading 4-2 in favor of Ruud.
"Yeah, honestly, I told myself at that moment that I had nothing to lose. You know, he's probably going to win the match," a jubilant Rune stated as part of an on-court interview following the victory. "So I just told myself to play free, enjoy it, you know, it's probably my last set here. I told myself I just have to try to play how I want to play, play aggressive, you know, enjoy it."
Casper Ruud, who appeared to be in control of the proceedings in the opening set, was unable to put away some simple winners before a crucial double fault allowed his Scandinavian opponent to go 3-1 up in the decider.
Holger Rune revealed that he was "super happy" while explaining that the key to the comeback lay in changing the manner in which he approached the game.
"And, you know, I did that and that was actually the key to come back, so I am super heavy," the 2022 French Open quarter-finalist stressed.
"It's crazy, I played some of my best tennis in periods" - Holger Rune after two memorable back-to-back wins in Rome
Holger Rune is on a high following two amazing back-to-back wins in Rome. After losing the opening set against Novak Djokovic, the 20-year-old turned the contest on its head by cruising to a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory. He then followed up the win with another memorable performance against Casper Ruud.
Rune admitted that it was "crazy" that he played his best tennis only in periods in both encounters while coming good against Ruud during the latter half of the contest.
"Yeah, it's crazy. I mean, I really played some of my best tennis in periods of the matches, especially in the last two matches. First against Novak and then and against Caspar. I mean, they are difficult players to play (against)," the seventh-seed said.
"So I had to find my best tennis and, you know, I actually didn't find it today - only at the end - and that was why I turned it around," he added.
Holger Rune will face the winner of the second semi-final between Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev in his quest for the Italian Open title.