From loss to Rublev in Melbourne to Paris ecstasy: How young Rune learned to win a five-set match

A tough loss in Australia earlier this season may have been a factor in helping Holger Rune get across the finish line in Monday’s French Open thriller against Francisco Cerundolo.

Ricky Dimon

June 5, 2023

Holger Rune is arguably the favorite to reach the final out of the bottom half of the draw, but in order to stay alive at Roland-Garros on Monday he had to do something he had never done before: win a five-set match.

Previously 0-2 in five-setters, Rune went the distance in his fourth-round showdown against Francisco Cerundolo. The Dane pulled out the win a fifth-set tiebreaker to set up a quarter-final meeting with Casper Ruud.

Rune remembers loss to Rublev

Rune’s most recent five-setter also came in the fourth round of a Grand Slam — at this year’s Australian Open. Facing Andrey Rublev, Rune led 5-2 in the fifth, had two match points at 6-5, and went up 5-0 in the ensuing super-tiebreaker. Nonetheless, he could not finish the job and Rublev ended up winning 11-9 in the ‘breaker.

The 20-year-old reflected on that match saying that there as too much of a negative mindset. Against Cerundolo, he made an effort to stay positive — even after failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the fifth set.

“For sure, experience helps,” Rune said following Monday’s victory. “I think experience, you know, kind of helped me through to win today, because I had that tough loss in Australia against Rublev…. I told myself in the beginning of the match tiebreak just to try to play my tennis. You know, see how it goes. At least go off the court with a smile on my face, because I played a good match.

“Because if you think too much about winning and losing, you start to be tight and it hurts. I try to be positive and see the good things.

“So I could kind of try and do a few things different today. Actually was thinking of the match against Rublev when we started the match tiebreak. I told myself to act and to think differently, I mean, just to do something different than I did in Australia — because that didn’t work. I did that, and it was the right thing to do.”

Rune too tough in pressure moments

In addition to the super-‘breaker, Rune also won the first set against Cerundolo in a tiebreaker. The 20-year-old also saved 13 break points in total, including three from 0-40 down to hold serve at 3-4 in the fifth set.

“I went in with the same mindset and with the mindset that I wanted to win it, not try to make him miss or something like this,” Rune said of the final ‘breaker. “I tried to go for it and be super energized, because it is small margins.

“You know, it is one or two points here and there that makes a winner of these kind of moments and tiebreaks. So I told myself to be aggressive, trust myself, and play the game that I know is working the best for me. I did it, and I managed to win.”