Holger Rune was defended by Rennae Stubbs after being booed when entering the court at the 2023 Italian Open in Rome.
On the Italian Open's sunlit clay courts, Rune found himself battling not just his opponent, but also a booing crowd. An ordeal that stirred veteran tennis player Rennae Stubbs to step up in defense, condemning the spectators' actions as disgraceful.
As the young Dane made his entrance into the arena, facing off against the home crowd's favourite, Fabio Fognini, he was met with a hostile reception. A chorus of boos echoed from the spectators, an undeniable attempt to unsettle the young player. Rune, however, remained unfazed, his concentration undeterred.
The Danish prodigy proceeded to deliver a masterclass in both tennis and resilience. Displaying remarkable composure and skill, he subdued Fognini with a convincing 6-4, 6-2 victory, marking his second triumph over the Italian and extending their head-to-head record on the ATP Tour to 2-0. The crowd's attempt to perturb his rhythm proved to be in vain.
Rennae Stubbs, the former doubles World No. 1, took umbrage at the spectators' behaviour, publicly defending the young Dane. In a tweet that resonated with many, Stubbs expressed her disappointment at the crowd's actions, labeling them as "disgraceful" and asserting that Rune did not deserve such treatment.
"Disgraceful... I mean it's normal when you argue or carry on when you're in Italy playing an Italian, we have all been there. But this is disgraceful behavior. Holger Rune doesn't deserve that."
But Rune knows that in his career, he may face a similar situation many more times and that he can not let fans get into his head. After the match, the young Dane admitted that he knew that it was just a couple of guys trying to make him lose focus.
"You know, actually, it was a couple of guys who tried to make me lose focus behind the court. But yeah guys, it didn’t work. I stayed in the zone. It was just, you know, support for him during the match, of course, it got closer in the first set and they were [starting] to get wild."
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