Holger Rune has been subjected to serious threats on social media in light of his dwindling form, and her mother has since disclosed measures taken to curb such threats.
The 20-year-old had a spectacular end to the season in 2022, winning two indoor hard court titles including his maiden Masters in Paris-Bercy. Rune defeated 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic to win the prestigious ATP 1000.
Rune backed up that late-season surge with some strong results in the first half of 2023, reaching two more Masters finals, in Monte Carlo and Rome. He would also add a fourth career title in Munich, saving multiple match points to beat Botic van de Zandschulp in the final.
Steady results on grass yielded a semifinal at Queen's and the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. But since losing to Carlos Alcaraz at SW19, Rune has won once in eight tournaments at all levels. He crashed out at this week's Stockholm Open where he was the defending champion.
Criticism of his performances has intensified on social media. Rune has spoken about it not very long, terming the whole ordeal as "ridiculous", unable to comprehend how people would send death threats for losing a tennis match. His mother has chimed in during an interview on the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast.
Aneke Rune states that reading an analysis of his son's performance is always welcome, as it is one way that fans can interact with the players. But she draws a line, outlining the defects of social media and how a section of people have created pseudo-accounts to incite hate.
"I read a lot of analysis about the social media. We cannot get rid of it because it’s part of the interaction for young people, which is good. It’s a way for the fans to interact with their idols, which is super good. The bad thing about social media is, there are so many fake accounts that write sh*t"
Moreover, Aneke explains that criticism is justified at times, but people with fake profiles have been bombarding the comments section with hateful reactions and death threats. She notes that these categories of so-called "fans" are reported to the police.
Tennis players are victims of disgruntled bettors who account for almost all nasty and loathsome reactions immediately after losing their wagers. Rune's mother calls on the ATP to become responsible for eradicating the issue of social media hate.
"If it was like an honest profile saying, ‘I dislike what you do,’ then it’s fair. But, in nine out of 10, it’s like fake profiles that go write whatever they like. And it’s a really nasty thing – it can be death threats; it can be a lot of bad things they write."
"Normally we block all this, so he doesn’t have to see it, and the rest of them, we go to the policemen – there are some serious threats once in a while, and they are quite serious about it, they follow it through."
"It should be possible to make someone responsible. If ATP runs an Instagram site, they should be able to block whatever is hate. Hate is not part of the serious debate. I think, the one who runs the site has an obligation to block these ones out."
0 Comments