What Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner had to say about their fiery Monte-Carlo classic ft. hostile crowds and cold handshakes
Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune played out a classic at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters on Saturday. They entertained the crowd on Court Rainier III in a rain-delayed semifinal that was as bang for the buck as they come.
It was Rune who prevailed in the end, coming from a set down to beat the Italian 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 and book his spot in his second Masters 1000 final. The Dane faced a hostile crowd all match, who were backing Sinner to outdo him. Unperturbed, Rune held his nerve to beat both his opponent and the mob.
Sinner and Rune also shared a rather cold handshake at the end of the contest, adding more fuel to the fire. During their respective press conferences, both players were asked about their thoughts on the atmosphere on the night.
Sinner admitted that the court conditions changed drastically post-rain interval, making it difficult for him to get back into the match the way he would have liked. The third set, in particular, was a "roller coaster" for the 21-year-old, who felt it simply tilted in his opponent's favor at the end of the day.
"For sure [the conditions] has changed when we went out of the court and with the rain, and after was much slower, for sure. You know, it was for both of us. The beginning was a lot windy. I managed very well the situation. Then after the rain delay, I had difficult time to go in the match. Yeah, that third set was just little roller coaster and went his way," Jannik Sinner said.
As for the handshake, Sinner refused to comment on what exactly led to the cold shoulder from someone like him, widely considered one of the most sporting players on tour. When prompted if Holger Rune tried to do too much with the crowd during the contest, the Italian declined to answer once again.
"No, I don't want to comment," Sinner said.
Holger Rune, on the other hand, was ecstatic with the crowd's involvement, declaring that he had a lot of fun on the court. The World No. 9, in fact, was of the opinion that these kinds of emotional matches were far more enjoyable for spectators.
"My relationship with the crowd was awesome, if you ask me. I think it was great. You had so much energy on the court, which is fun. I guess if you ask the crowd, I think they would prefer that than two guys looking down and doing nothing," Rune said.
The Dane went on to call it one of the "best" tennis matches he's ever played in his career, purely based on the atmosphere it led to.
"I thought it was a great match. I would probably say not level-wise but one of the best like tennis matches that I have played in my life. You know, it was very, very close. I had chances. There were some great points, great rallies," Holger Rune said. "You know, every time you play Jannik, it's tough matches and you've got to play your best."
Holger Rune to face Andrey Rublev in Monte-Carlo final
Following his win over Andrey Rublev, Holger Rune will take on Andrey Rublev in the final of the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters. The Russian beat Taylor Fritz in the semifinals and is on the hunt for his maiden Masters 1000 title.
Speaking about the impending clash, Rune declared that he would give it his all since it was the last match of the tournament, and that he expected a "great" battle against a solid opponent.
"I expect for myself to push full. It's the last push, it's the last match of the tournament. Obviously he had three sets today as well, so he must be feeling the legs a little bit, I hope. I don't know. You know, it's going to be great," Holger Rune said. "You know, we played each other twice. It's 1-All head to head, so it's going to be interesting, for sure."
The head-to-head between the duo is currently tied at 1-1, with Rublev winning their most recent clash at the Australian Open earlier this year.