Before the match, Holger Rune expressed his frustration about being allocated an outside show court in his first match, but he feels it did not contribute to his shock loss.
Rune became the first men's Top-10 seed to lose his opening match at this year's US Open. The Danish star momentarily showed signs of recovery when he leveled the match at one set all, but could not quite keep up with Roberto Carballes Baena's endurance and consistent hitting as the Spaniard completed a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 upset.
Much of the pre-match notes centered around Rune's disappointment towards ATP officials who scheduled his opening match on Court No. 5. Rune spoke to his country's tournament broadcaster where he slammed the two unnamed officials for 'who always' allocated his matches on 'the worst courts'.
But in his post-match press conference, Rune stated that his four-set defeat to Carballes Baena had nothing to do with the court, adding that his opponent played solidly throughout the match. However, there is always more than what meets the eye with his affirmation.
"That's obviously disappointing, but not going to blame the court on the loss. He played very, very solid. Credit to him."
Rune clarified that he 'didn't expect to play on an outside show court given his top-10 ranking, alluding that higher-ranked players always get special benefits when it comes to court allocation. While that wasn't the case, Rune opined that the crowd certainly generated a nice atmosphere and he had no problem playing on the court.
"It's not difficult, but it's different. You're more close to all the people. It's a nice atmosphere. So, I mean, it's no problem with the court. I just didn't expect to play on that court."
"I feel like it's normal. I mean, as best as you get in the ranking, it's more, you know, how you say, benefits you should get with playing in better conditions. So I think that's a normal way and it's also how ATP, like, it's how they do with all the players. But they didn't do it with me here."
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