"I get extra energy": Rune takes confidence from being booed while playing

Holger Rune commented that he enjoys having an engaged crowd during matches.

The young star has dazzled in tennis over the past year. The Danish player won the Paris Masters 1000 in 2022 and has achieved significant victories on the tour, which elevated him to the world No. 6 ranking.

Rune has been involved in controversy on several occasions due to his behavior on the court and has had to deal with a hostile crowd in some of his matches. During the quarterfinals of the 2022 French Open against Casper Ruud, the Danish player shouted at his mother from the court while facing the Norwegian player, and he made several controversial gestures, such as shaking hands with his opponent without even looking at him.

In this year's quarterfinals of Roland Garros, Rune was booed by the crowd after hitting a ball that took a double bounce, and his opponent, Francisco Cerundolo, stopped, expecting the chair umpire to make a call for the double bounce. Despite this, Rune remained silent while the crowd booed.

The 20-year-old athlete recently commented that he enjoys having engaged crowds.

“I like the atmosphere. I like a lively crowd. You cannot have people on your site always. I get extra energy when the crowd is lively,” Rune said.

This week, the Danish player was once again involved in controversy following his match against Lorenzo Musetti at the Queen's Club Championships. However, this time it was the Italian who hit a shot at Rune during a smash.

“He can do what he wants,” Rune said. "I mean, it's not the best thing to do, for sure. But again, it is legal. He can hit the ball where he wants to.

“It just gave me fire in the belly to beat him even more. I'm super happy to manage to beat him in two sets. It feels good. I'm in the semifinal, he's not.

Rune was eliminated in the semifinals by Alex De Minaur and is now preparing for Wimbledon, where he is the sixth seed.