"No one in the Top 8 is a quitter": Holger Rune defends Stefanos Tsitsipas from accusations after ATP Finals withdrawal

Holger Rune has defended Stefanos Tsitsipas after the latter was accused of taking to the court for the prize money before retiring at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

The Greek player had qualified for the ATP Finals for the fifth consecutive year, having previously won the tournament in 2019. However, there were rumors prior to the 2023 edition that he was struggling with injuries. Nevertheless, doctors gave him the green light to compete and he went ahead with his first Group Stage match against Jannik Sinner, which he lost in straight sets.

The World No. 6 then returned for his second match in the Green Group against World No. 8 Rune but it became clear early on that something was wrong. After the third game, Tsitsipas called a physio to the court, and after a lengthy discussion and worried looks from his team, he was forced to withdraw from the tie and from the tournament.

After the match, Tsitsipas spoke of his heartbreak at having to pull out of the tournament and made it clear that it was not a decision he took lightly: "I hate retiring from matches. I'm not the kind of person that likes leaving mid-match and it kills me not to be able to finish this tournament, the one that I've prepped for for so long and made sure that I'm completely fit to perform at my best and show my capacity as a player," he said.

However, several viewers have since taken to social media to criticize Tsitsipas and accuse him of only taking to the court for the prize money. This included former Danish player Tine Scheuer-Larsen, who said it would have made more sense for the 25-year-old to have withdrawn from the match beforehand so Rune could have played the first alternate.

"Shouldn't Tsitsipas have withdrawn from the match against Holger and given his place to the reserve [Hubert] Hurkacz? Playing 3 games in front of 14000 spectators...the crowd booed - makes more sense now with hindsight... 3 games has previously been the limit for receiving the prize money," she wrote in Danish on X, formerly known as Twitter.

However, Rune was quick to defend his opponent from the comments of his compatriot, replying by saying that no one knows what they would do in that situation and that the Top 8 players on the ATP Tour are not the type to retire from a match unless they absolutely have to do so.

"We are not in Stefanos' body. So we can't comment on what he should have done. We are here to fight and win. No one here in the top 8 is a quitter, and we will try to the end. If we only thought rationally, we wouldn't be where we are today," he replied. Rune will conclude his Group Stage matches against Sinner, which will decide who will advance to the semi-finals from the Green Group.