"I feel hunted": Holger Rune expresses frustration after having to retire from Monte-Carlo Masters

Denmark’s Holger Rune has expressed frustration about having to withdraw from the ongoing Monte-Carlo Masters. The 21-year-old, who is regarded as one of the most talented players in men’s tennis in the singles category, was forced tor retire from the ongoing ATP 1000 event with an injury against Portugal’s Nuno Borges.

The final score of the match was 6-2, 3-0. After the match, the reigning world number 12 expressed his frustration in a post on his official account on the social media platform Instagram where he stated: "I feel hunted with sickness. Unbearable not to be able to finish up in one of my absolute favourite tournaments."

The result was a major setback for Rune who came into the competition on the back of a disappointing outing at the Miami Open where he was knocked out after losing in the first round to America’s Reilly Opelka with a score of 4-6,6-3, 7-6. The Gentofte-born star is going through a turbulent phase on the court.

In the ongoing season, he has played in eight competitions, but only once has he managed to play in the quarterfinal or beyond. His best outing in an ATP competition this season came at Indian Wells, where he finished runner-up after losing to Britain’s Jack Draper in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-2.

After the final, Rune admitted that he was second-best in the contest and stated that he believed he could have done slightly better. "I think I could have done my part better,” he said back then as quoted by ATP’s official website. “Like the opportunities I had to play aggressive just weren't good enough. I think it's a matter of fact that I haven't committed — I mean, I have been playing well in this tournament, been playing tactically very wisely — but I haven't played, like, fully committed to my aggressive game still. I think that's what was the reason why I lost today... Jack was playing extremely well, but the few chances I had to make it difficult for him, I didn't quite take them, because I wasn't really trusting every shot of my game today."