Holger Rune has spoken about his physical condition following a rollercoaster of a final at the Munich Open yesterday.
The young Dane saved four match points and broke serve three times when his opponent Van de Zandschulp was serving for the match.
Adding to the on-court drama were the physical issues of Rune, who required a medical time out for a shoulder injury and then twisted the same ankle he had hurt in his semi-final in the tenth game of the final set.
Rune was visibly angry at not being allowed to re-strap his ankle until a formal change of ends, and was in discomfort from that point through to the end of the match.
Nevertheless, the World No. 7 somehow managed to battle back from 5-2 down in the decider, clinching the fourth title of his young career in a final set tie-break in incredible circumstances.
When asked after the match how he was feeling physically, Rune's answer will have prompted concerns from his team as he intimated that he is struggling with injury.
I'm not fine. I feel awful. And I said, it is what it is when you're in this situation, you know, it's the last match, it's the last push. So, I tried to find a way that could help me a little bit to not be as hurt. But again, it was a struggle and, you know, I managed to get it done.
Despite the injury concerns, Rune was delighted to have successfully defended an ATP title for the first time, having won the trophy in Munich last year against the same opponent. He had warm words for the tournament and the crowd, as he relished his first title of the season.
It all started last year when he offered me a wild card. So I'm truly thankful and (am) very happy to be back. Last but not least, I want to say a huge thanks to the crowd. For me, it feels almost like home. It's unbelievable. It was here, and I can't wait to be back next year.