Denmark’s
Holger Rune had to wait to get his hands on a
much-awaited trophy at the
Barcelona Open for an interesting reason. The
21-year-old, who is often regarded as one of the most talented players
currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, secured one of the
biggest wins of his career on Sunday as he defeated Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in
the final in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-2.
After that win, Rune had to wait for a long time to get his hands
on the trophy, all because of an interesting reason. There was a long closing ceremony
of the Barcelona Open on the court, which featured numerous artists who sang
songs to entertain the crowd sitting in the arena.
After that win, Rune stated that the triumph means the ‘world’
to him. He also highlighted how he tried to replicate some of the performances
of former world number one Novak Djokovic, which he produced in the gold medal
match at the Paris Olympics against the Spaniard.
“It means the world, it was such a great match,” said Rune.
“In the beginning, I was a little bit stressed, because Carlos obviously plays
big-time tennis. I had to breathe a lot and find my rhythm. After he broke me,
I got more into the match and played my tennis. The first set was a big battle,
it was super important to win it and gain the momentum. I’m so proud of myself.
When I got broken in the first set, I thought to myself that I don’t need to
hit every shot on the line. So I [asked] myself: ‘What did Novak do when he
beat him?’ I played it in my mind, the Olympics final, and tried to play that
style, making a lot of balls. I’m very happy with how I stayed composed when it
mattered, and I was really brave.”