Holger Rune vows to "take a nap" next time an electronic line call discussion ensues, lightening the mood after a contentious Madrid Open match.
In a recent spirited match at the 2023 Madrid Open, Danish tennis sensation and world No. 7, Holger Rune, faced off against Spain's Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. After a close battle on the court, Rune ultimately succumbed to his opponent in a thrilling three-set encounter, 7-6(1), 5-7, 7-6 (5).
Despite the captivating back-and-forth, the focal point of post-match discussion revolved around an electronic line call dispute that occurred during the opening set. The contested moment began when Davidovich Fokina questioned the accuracy of the FoxTenn electronic line calling system after Rune secured a 4-3 lead.
Fokina's protest led to chair umpire Carlos Bernardes calling out the supervisor for a discussion. However, the crowd remained uninformed about the unfolding events, resulting in confusion and tension in the stands.
Right after the match, the young Dane stated that he just wanted to play tennis, but he also addressed the incident on social media expressing his frustration with the lack of communication between the officials and the crowd during the disagreement. Especially, after he was then booed for the remainder of the match by the crowd.
"There was a lot of talk today about bad behavior among Spanish fans last night. Yesterday the crowd didn’t understand what was going on. You cannot overrule a computer call. And it took the umpire and supervisor a very long time explain this to my opponent. And they didn’t bother to communicate this to the crowd."
To lighten the mood and demonstrate his easygoing nature, Rune humorously vowed that next time such a dispute arises, he "will take a nap while they discuss." In his post, Rune also made it clear that he harbored no ill feelings towards the Spanish people or the local audience, despite the impassioned crowd's boos during the match.
"Next time I will take a nap while they discuss. Just want to say that personally I don’t hold nothing against the Spanish people and I look forward to come back to Madrid Open."
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