Tennis fans have not reacted kindly after Holger Rune defended his loss to Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships by stating he was unwell.
Rune and Alcaraz locked horns on Wednesday in what was the first men’s quarterfinal between two players aged under 21 at the grasscourt Major in the Open Era.
In an entertaining two-hour and 20-minute battle on Centre Court, Alcaraz emerged victorious, 7-6(3), 6-4, 6-4. With his 45th tour-level win of 2023, the Spaniard advanced to his third Grand Slam semifinal, becoming the youngest man to reach the last four at SW19 since Novak Djokovic (20 years old) in 2007.
After the defeat, Rune stated that he was feeling unwell before the match but did his best to not disappoint the crowd.
“I didn’t feel the best in today’s match, but I did my best not to disappoint the crowd. I tried to fight until the end. Didn’t feel as I feel the other days when I woke up this morning,” he said in his post-match press conference.
Several tennis fans, however, didn’t take too kindly to his statements, with one stating that the Dane should learn to be gracious in defeat.
“Sore loser. Even if true, shut up about it and be gracious in defeat,” a fan opined.
Another fan stated that the daunting prospect of facing World No. 1 Alcaraz could have been the reason for Rune feeling unwell.
“For the first time this tournament he knew he wasn’t the favorite and regardless of how he plays there’s over a 90% chance he’s packing his bags. I’d wake up with a tummy ache too,” a tweet read.
Here are a few more fan reactions:
“It’s not easy to play against someone that I’ve played so many times” – Carlos Alcaraz on facing Holger Rune
After his win against Holger Rune, Carlos Alcaraz admitted that he was nervous heading into the Wimbledon quarterfinal clash. The Spaniard stated that he grew up playing against the Dane, which made the clash daunting.
“I think it [the nervousness] is Holger and a little bit of playing quarterfinal of a Grand Slam. But for me, it’s not easy to play against someone that I’ve played so many times. When we were younger, we grew up together, same age. For me is not really easy to play against. But I’m going to say it’s the opponent that I play with a lot of nerves,” he expressed.
Rune, on the other hand, admitted that Alcaraz was the better player in their latest tour-level meeting. He stated that the Spaniard had the upper hand by winning the first set and used that momentum to seal the contest.
“I feel like whoever got that first set had a big advantage. He gained more confidence from that set. I didn’t. I think if I maybe won the first set, could have looked different maybe in the second set. But I didn’t. He gained the momentum and started to play better,” he opined.
“I did my best from all the circumstances,” Rune added. “I fought till the end. He played a good match. I could have played better, I think. It’s a part of it. Just have to move on.”
