Holger Rune lost at the 2024 Italian Open quite early compared to last year, and he blamed it on not eating and drinking during the match.
The 21-year-old had a spectacular clay season last year, but it's not looking as well this year. The Danish player had some good moments and is trending in the right direction, but he didn't come close to playing the way he did last year.
The results also aren't the same because he made the Monte-Carlo Masters and Italian Open finals last year, and he couldn't repeat that this year. His Italian Open campaign ended on Sebastian Baez's racket, which was a bit of a surprising result.
The Argentine is one of the better clay players on the ATP Tour, but Rune started really well. He won the opening set 6-2 but then completely collapsed as the match continued.
Nobody was really sure what had happened, but he had a very good idea, and he explained it to the Danish after the match. According to Ekstrabladet, Rune didn't manage his food and drink intake during the match, which caused him to run out of steam.
"I have trained really well and hit the ball well leading up to the tournament in Rome. I also feel like I played a really good match in the second round and a good first set last night - my tennis is at a high level again. Therefore, of course, it is also wildly frustrating that I end up not being able to perform as well as I can, because of such a low-practical thing as insufficient intake of food and drink."
Lack of hydration and food intake obviously hinders any athlete, and the young Dane experienced it in the Italian capital. Unfortunately for Rune, who was very self-critical, there was nothing left than admitting that he simply didn't get it done even though he knew how to do it.
"It simply must not happen at the level I work at. And yes, I have been ill, and the focus has been on extra court hours and physical build-up, but that is no excuse. I know what to eat and drink during a match and I didn't get it done in the match."