Rune 'Not Afraid' of Facing Alcaraz in Wimbledon Quarterfinal
ATPWednesday, 12 July 2023 at 08:20
Updated at Monday, 11 August 2025 at 14:39
Holger Rune produced a confident reply when asked about his upcoming Wimbledon quarter-final clash against world number one on the ATP Tour, Carlos Alcaraz.
Rune reached the final eight at Wimbledonafter defeating the experienced Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round. It was a tricky contest for Rune as he lost the first set 6-3 before defeating Dimitrov in second and third set tie-breaks and then showed his quality by winning the final set 6-3.
At the time of winning his final 16 clash, Rune was unaware who his next opponent would be as the Alcaraz-Matteo Berrettini match was still ongoing. But, the 20-year-old Dane showed no fear during his post-match interview on the court, sharing that he feels optimistic rather than nervous about reaching his first Wimbledon quarter-finals.
"Alcaraz has been showing that he's top of the world at a very young age so it's going to be tough. I'm very much looking forward to it. I'm not afraid, I'm excited."
Eventually, Rune learned he would play his long-term friend Alcaraz in the quarter-finals. It represents a tough challenge for the Danish player, who has never progressed past the final eight of a Grand Slam after he fell at the quarter-final stage at the 2023 and 2022 Roland Garros - both against Casper Ruud.
But, the prospect of facing Alcaraz on a different surface appeared to give Rune confidence, as he shared during his post-match press conference after defeating Dimitrov.
"I think the two times I made the quarterfinal, obviously I played the same guy twice, so I had not the best memories from the last time I did. Now it's a new opportunity. It's the first time here in Wimbledon, so everything is new, which is nice. It's great to play Alcaraz in a match like this. It's really exciting. It's a match that I want to play."
"For me, I'm just going to give full. I know it's a big chance for me to be in the quarters, going deep in the tournament. I'm going to try to take the chance because you don't get it every week."
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