Following their recent clash at the 2023 ATP Finals, Novak Djokovic stated he believed he and opponent Holger Rune had similar playing styles, a claim that was disputed by the Danish star.
Djokovic secured a thrilling 7-6(4) 6-7(1) 6-3 victory over the youngster in their ATP Finals round robin encounter, making it two consecutive victories after the top seed prevailed in their quarterfinal clash in Paris last week. The Serbian now holds a 3-2 lead over Rune, a player whom many have touted to be a future World No.1.
Following his win over Rune, Djokovic had high praise for the Dane and highlighted the similarities in their playing style.
"Somehow whenever we face each other, it's always a very close match," said the World No.1. "We play very similar styles of tennis. I think that's probably also the contributor to close matches."
However, Rune did not believe this to be true when asked about the Serbian's comments regarding their playing styles.
"No. I mean, of course, I take the compliment that he's saying we play similar," said Rune. "I don't think so, but that's my opinion. It's good to be comparing with him. He's one of the greatest that we ever had in the game."
Rune will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in his second round robin match, with the Greek star also looking to notch his first win at this year's event following his loss to Jannik Sinner in their opening match.