"Why are you continuing beef with a literal child"- Tennis fans amused by Stan Wawrinka's online behavior in ongoing Holger Rune saga
Stan Wawrinka and Holger Rune reignited their old feud during their clash at the BNP Paribas Open on Monday. But fans on social media have started to question why Wawrinka has been arguing with a player 18 years his junior.
Holger Rune defeated Stan Wawrinka 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) when they faced each other for the first time at the 2022 Rolex Paris Masters. At the end of that match, as the two players shook hands at the net, Wawrinka reprimanded Rune for his supposedly childish conduct on the court.
"My advice to you is that you stop acting like a baby on court," Wawrinka said at the time.
At the Indian Wells Masters, the tables turned for the Swiss veteran as he beat Rune 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5. The Dane did not let go of the previous incident though; as he approached the net, he asked Wawrinka if he had anything more to say, much to the latter's surprise.
"You've got nothing to say now?" Rune asked.
"What do you want me to say?" Wawrinka replied.
The conflict continued on social media as Rune posted a story on Instagram criticizing people who pass "harsh judgments," before arguing with fans on Twitter. Wawrinka played his part as well, replying to a tweet highlighting Rune's odd behavior on social media.
@AnnaK_4ever š¤£
Wawrinka's reply did not go down well with some tennis fans, as they criticized the 37-year-old for his behavior. One Twitter user asked why Wawrinka was continuing the argument on social media.
"Why are you continuing beef with a literal child."
why are you continuing beef with a literal child twitter.com/stanwawrinka/sā¦
Another fan stated that they expected the veteran to act more maturely given his age.
"One would assume man twice his age would be more mature no?"
One would assume man twice his age would be more mature no? twitter.com/stanwawrinka/sā¦
Some fans stated that picking a fight with a much younger Rune was distasteful.
"Picking fights with an 18 year old this one."
picking fights with an 18 year old this one twitter.com/stanwawrinka/sā¦
Here are a few more fan reactions:
@stanwawrinka @AnnaK_4ever You're silly wonka.
Grow up š¤” twitter.com/stanwawrinka/sā¦
Stan Wawrinka to take on Jannik Sinner in the 4th round of the Indian Wells Masters
Stan Wawrinka will have to ignore the noise around the argument with Rune as he prepares for his fourth-round match against 11th seed Jannik Sinner in Indian Wells.
The three-time Grand Slam champion kicked off his BNP Paribas Open campaign with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-1 win over Aleksandar Vukic. He then defeated Miomir Kecmanovic, 7-6(8), 6-4 in the second round to set up the clash with Rune.