"I never lost a match when I played good": Holger Rune highlights Novak Djokovic's strengths after ATP Finals defeat

Holger Rune has highlighted the strengths of Novak Djokovic after losing to him in the first tie of the 2023 ATP Finals.

Eighth seed Rune had the daunting task of taking on World No. 1 Djokovic in his very first match at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. The Dane has been on the rise again recently after a difficult run of form over the last few months, and this was clear when he pushed the 24-time Grand Slam champion to three sets.

Although Djokovic managed to secure the win 7-6 (4), 6-7 (1), 6-3, he was visibly frustrated on the court, smashing up rackets before managing to swing the match back in his favor. After this, Rune faced Stefanos Tsitsipas in his second tie and found himself declared the winner three games in after the Greek player retired from the tournament due to injury.

After Rune's short-lived tie with Tsitsipas, he did a quick on-court interview elaborating on his clash with Djokovic, during which he stressed how good the Serbian player's level is due to his ability to defeat his opponents even on their best days.

"I never lost a match when I played good tennis and I played great tennis with Novak and still lost. That shows how good Djokovic is," he said. The 20-year-old recently joined forces with Djokovic's former coach Boris Becker, who helped the latter to six Grand Slam titles between 2014 and 2016.

Following this new addition to his coaching team, Rune's level has rapidly improved again after he failed to put together any back-to-back match wins post-Wimbledon until the Swiss Indoors Basel in October, where he reached the semi-finals. Djokovic recently praised Rune and predicted great things for his future under the tutelage of Becker.

"We're going to see a lot more of him [Rune] I'm sure in the future. He's got Boris Becker, the legend of the game in his corner now and he's been improving himself as well. Every time we face each other, it's a close match," Djokovic said.

The 36-year-old faced home player and World No. 4 Jannik Sinner in his second tie, who pulled off a surprise victory against the top seed in a tight three-set battle. Due to Tsitsipas' withdrawal, Djokovic will face first alternate Hubert Hurkacz in his last group stage match before Rune takes on Sinner to decide which two out of the three players will qualify for the semi-finals.