Holger Rune was unable to get the job done against Spain, despite having a match point to seal the tie for Denmark.
Rune had been trialling a new racket ahead of Denmark’s tie against Spain, with a place in the Davis Cup Finals on the line.
Denmark were handed a boost after the big news came that Carlos Alcaraz had withdrawn for Spain, as well as Grand Slam doubles champion Marcel Granollers.
This appeared to be paying off, as Denmark led Spain 2-0 after the first day’s play in Marbella, but things started to unravel quickly on day two.
Holger Rune criticised for not shaking the umpire’s hand after Davis Cup defeat
Rune won his first singles match against Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets, and had the opportunity to seal the tie for Denmark against Pedro Martinez.
After coming from a set and a break down, Rune led Martinez 5-3 in the deciding set and was one point away from sending Denmark into the Davis Cup Finals.
However, he was unable to convert this match point and Martinez beat Rune, 6-1 4-6 7-6(3), to level the tie up at 2-2.
The match was very lively in itself, with the largely Spanish crowd supporting their nation in Marbella, and the drama continued after the match.
After shaking the hands of both Martinez and Spanish team captain David Ferrer, Rune then approached the umpire to reach his hand out, before pulling away to refuse the handshake.
The clip of Rune refusing to shake the umpire’s hand has circulated on social media and has elicited a strong reaction from tennis fans.
Many of these tennis fans have suggested that 22-year-old Rune needs to mature if he wants to reach the top level.
One wrote, “What? Why? Total lack of respect.”
Another echoed the same sentiment, “Oh he will never grow up.”
The backlash for Rune continued, “So childish !!”
An additional social media user said, “How the hell does he put his hand out and then pull it back, what a gesture from Rune… He still has a lot to mature mentally, and that will help him play better tennis.”
This is not the first time that the world number 11 has received criticism like this, with Rune also told to grow up at Wimbledon.
Holger Rune explains why he refused to shake the umpire’s hand
Rune’s loss ended up being fatal for Denmark, as Spain completed the ultimate comeback after Pablo Carreno Busta beat Elmer Moller in the final rubber.
When asked about why he refused to shake the umpire’s hand by Danish news outlet, SpilXperten, after the match, Rune certainly did not back down and claimed he did not deserve a handshake.
“He doesn’t deserve that. It’s pretty clear with so many mistakes,” said Rune. “I don’t think it was very good work. So I don’t think he deserved it.”
That was not the only gripe that Rune had about the tie, as he also complained about the behaviour of the Spanish crowd.
However, Rune also admitted that it did not cause him to lose the match against Martinez.
“I just thought that there’s a difference between Danish and Spanish manners,” said Rune. “When we played against Serbia, the atmosphere was also absolutely amazing, but there was clearly more respect.
“There’s a bit of a difference in upbringing. There were some things today that were a bit unsportsmanlike, but I’ve experienced worse. That wasn’t what decided the match.”
Rune is now expected to head back to the States, as he represents Team Europe in the Laver Cup in San Francisco.
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