Rune: “My heart was almost in my brain” during Paris Masters final against Djokovic
Serving for a maiden title is a difficult task, but it’s even more difficult when your heart is in your brain…
Denmark’s Holger Rune reacts during the final match against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic || AI / Reuters / Panoramic
When you are 19 and playing in your first Masters 1000 final, there isn’t a cache of banked experience to rely on when things get tense. And tense they got on Sunday during the Paris Masters final, as Holger Rune suddenly found himself serving for the title and a top-10 ranking with Novak Djokovic across the net from him and the crowd whipped into a frenzy.
So, how did it feel?
Pretty nuts, Rune said.
“It was the most stressful game of my life and my heart was almost in my brain,” Rune said in a television interview after the final. “It was crazy. I don’t know how I came through. I was already thinking about a tiebreak because [Djokovic] started off so cold, just making me play every point.
“I really had to win it and I’m super proud that I could finish it at 7-5.”
There were moments where it looked like the Dane might be injured, or even cramping, but he assured reporters in his post match press conference that he was just, well, freaking out.
“I think my heart rate was over 200, so that was why [I looked injured]. That was why, I was just going down and trying to get some air in. There was one extended rally (at 6-5, deuce – see video below) that forced Rune to head to his chair to sneak a sip of fluid. He ended up taking a time violation warning – a smart move, given just how taxed he was feeling in that moment.
“Nothing wrong with my legs,” he said. “They were all good. It was just a super exhausting rally. I don’t know how many shots but running to the dropshot, back, and he ended up winning the point, and, you know, it was a crazy rally.
“So no, no, my legs are fine. Obviously tired now but no problems.”
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