Novak Djokovic took on Holger Rune for the third time in his career at the Italian Open however it was a losing effort for the second consecutive time.
Rune and Djokovic first played at the US Open in 2021 when the Serb won, but they met also last year in Paris and it was a sensational win for Rune which propelled him into the Top 10 on the ATP Tour for the first time in his career. He's been improving steadily since then and when presented with a chance to play Djokovic once more, Rune embraced it warmly.
The end result was the same, it was once again the youngster who proved better winning in three sets. The first clay match they played certainly demonstrated that his first win wasn't a fluke. Djokovic himself admitted that it was a very hard matchup, especially with the rainy and slower conditions.
Yeah, I mean, slower conditions these days. I think this is probably the coldest and wettest tournament I've ever played here in Rome. I don't really recall so many days in a row raining. Obviously, in these kinds of conditions, it's very difficult to get the ball past him. He's very, very fast, very quick. Great anticipation. Just a very talented, dynamic player, and all-around player.
Djokovic was then asked about his feelings on the upcoming Roland Garros and he confirmed that this loss changes nothing. He's confident in his tennis and ability to win however he might ask Holger Rune for some tips. It was a joke on previous questions when he was asked whether he can give the Dane some tips for the future.
I'm going to ask him tips. He beat me twice we played against each other, so... I have no tips for him. So far he's doing very well. I know I can always play better. Definitely am looking forward to working on various aspects of my game, of my body, hopefully getting myself in 100% shape. That's the goal.
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