Holger Rune tried and failed to provoke the crowd at the Japan Open on Sunday afternoon but prevailed in seeing off Kei Nishikori in Tokyo.
Rune held his finger to his ear during his victory over Kei Nishikori on Sunday as he came from a set down to win the match and book his spot in the semi-finals of the tournament.
After a recent early exit at the China Open, Rune put it behind him in emphatic fashion. He overcame Alejandro Tabilo and Yoshihito Nishioka in his first two matches in Japan. But he was second best for the start of his match with Nishikori.
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Rune attempted to fire himself up and inspire himself to victory among the barrage of crowd support that Nishikori of course got. But it backfired. His finger to the ear gesture in a country known as the most polite had the potential to turn on him.
After winning the second set 6-2, the 21-year-old also risked provoking them again screaming after making it 2-2. But he let his tennis do the talking ultimately as he sealed the final set 7-5.
John McEnroe previously spoke about certain elements of his trash talking game coming back to bite him. “I've said this before, I'll say it again, it's hard to be a total a****** and be on the tennis tour, okay?
“He likes to ham it up, he likes to engage the crowd, but he does it in a way that kind of irritates his opponents at times. Certainly, he irritates the crowd. So what's happening is, he's developing a reputation.
“I think Rune will come around. The guy is a tremendous talent, brings a ton of energy to the court. I think he's capable of winning majors. He still to me is a little bit up and down in the course of matches, but we've seen him play great and big matches.”
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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