Denmark’s tennis star
Holger Rune has admitted that he was not up to the
mark as he suffered an opening round defeat in the
US Open 2024. The fourth and
final Grand Slam of the year began on Monday where players from all over the
world are participating to showcase their talent and secure the ultimate prize.
Rune became one of the most high-profile players to exit from the
mega-event as he suffered a defeat in the first round to America’s Brandon
Nakashima in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-1, 6-4. It was the first time this season that the 21-year-old suffered a defeat in the first round of a Grand Slam.
Rune, who has been regarded as one of the most talented players
currently playing in men’s tennis, in a post on the social media platform X -- previously known as Twitter-- after the match,
admitted that he was no way near good enough in the contest. The Gentofte-born
star also admitted that now is the time to look at ‘everything’ now and
expressed optimism to not ‘let’ down his fans anymore.
"The best support, lots of happy tennis kids, perfect
weather, perfect court and tournament and I played extremely bad tennis,” he
said. "No offence to my opponent, but I managed only 39% !!first serves ,
tons of unforced errors, this is not what I or anyone should expect. I need to
look into everything now. This is not satisfying for me or my fans. I will not
let you down anymore.”
The defeat would have hurt Rune much more than any other
poor result this season, as he was coming into the contest on the back of an
impressive outing in the recently concluded Cincinnati Open. In that competition,
the journey for the current world number 15 came to an end as he lost in the semifinal
to America’s Frances Tiafoe with a score of 4-6, 6-1, 7-6.
