Holger Rune was one of many seeded casualties on the opening day of Wimbledon this year.
Rune had shown mixed grass court form coming into Wimbledon this year, where he was drawn to play qualifier Nicolas Jarry.
Despite winning the first two sets of his first round match, Rune was beaten in five sets by Jarry.
Rune was one of seven seeded players to have exited the men’s singles draw at Wimbledon on the opening day, with Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev also losing.
While the Dane’s result in isolation was noteworthy, what really got people talking was the comments Rune made after the match.
Holger Rune told to ‘grow up’ after making controversial comments following Wimbledon exit
Jarry beat Rune, 4-6 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4, in a match that lasted three hours and 33 minutes at Wimbledon.
After suffering a surprising defeat to the world number 143, Rune headed to his post-match press conference and spoke about how he was hampered with a knee injury.
The Dane went on to claim that this was the reason why he lost to Jarry, who he suggested he would have beaten otherwise.
“In normal conditions, I’d beat him nine times out of ten, with all due respect to Nicolas Jarry,” said Rune. “Obviously, I didn’t have it easy today with my knee, but yes, it wasn’t a great match.”
These comments from Rune have gained a lot of attention and criticism, with lots of tennis fans unhappy with what the world number eight said.
One wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), “Such a sore loser, so stubborn and not open to constructive criticism. and they were calling him whimsical the other day over here. Mama you’re one of the worst returners on tour, of course you lost to a guy with a massive serve, it’s not rocket science.”
Someone else told the 22-year-old that he needed to ‘grow up’ after making these comments.
Another social media user suggested that Rune’s knee injury was just an excuse, “Nonsense and he was playing. This boy loves giving silly excuses.”
While others called Rune disrespectful for what he had said, “Hm no, inappropriate not funny and quite honestly disrespectful.”
Someone else added, “No need to disrespect your opponent, idiot.”
This Rune controversy has a familiar feeling to Roland Garros, where Aryna Sabalenka was criticised for what she said about Coco Gauff.
What is next for Holger Rune?
It has been a mixed season for Rune so far in 2025, having won the title in Barcelona and reached the Indian Wells final, while also suffering early losses in Madrid, Rome and now Wimbledon.
Rune is not currently entered into any tournaments in the subsequent weeks after Wimbledon.
The Dane will drop 200 ranking points from reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon last year, and an additional 100 points for his quarter-final appearance at the clay court tournament in Hamburg last year.
Unless Rune takes a wildcard for any upcoming tournaments, the next time he is expected to compete is at the Masters 1000 event in Toronto.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
