Novak Djokovic loses to Holger Rune, again, this time at Italian Open

18.05.2023 - 01:11 arabnews.com

ROME: Novak Djokovic sees a bit of himself in Holger Rune. The 20-year-old Danish player is solid in nearly every area: A great mover and super fit physically, he’s strong off both his forehand and backhand, has good hands and is an aggressive returner.

Perhaps that’s why Rune has now recorded two victories over Djokovic in little more than six months, beating the 22-time Grand Slam champion 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 Wednesday to reach the Italian Open semifinals.

Rune, who also defeated Djokovic in the Paris Masters final in November, gave the Serb fits with his rapid court coverage. He made his opponent hit extra balls on points that Djokovic thought he had already finished off.

Djokovic said the consistently damp conditions at the Foro Italico this week were challenging for him. “In these kind of conditions, it’s very difficult to get the ball past him,” Djokovic said. “He’s very, very fast, very quick.

French Open Rafael Nadal Iga Swiatek Carlos Alcaraz Novak Djokovic Cameron Norrie Holger Rune France Denmark Italy Paris Rome

PARIS: Novak Djokovic, in his words, felt “quite sluggish, quite slow” for nearly two full sets against Karen Khachanov in the French Open quarterfinals Tuesday.

Novak Djokovic Into French Open Semi-finals For 12th Time

Novak Djokovic closed in on a potential blockbuster French Open semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz after beating Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6 (7/0), 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday to reach the last four. Djokovic, chasing a third French Open crown and record 23rd men's Grand Slam singles title, advanced to a 45th major semi-final and his 12th at Roland Garros. He will take on world number one Alcaraz or Stefanos Tsitsipas, the player he beat from two sets down in the 2021 final, for a place in Sunday's championship match.

French Open: Novak Djokovic has 'a lot of guts' to want to be considered the GOAT -John McEnroe exclusive

John McEnroe says he has been impressed by Novak Djokovic's honest ambition to want to win 23 Grand Slam titles and be considered as the greatest men's player to ever play tennis. Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are currently tied on 22 Grand Slam titles each, but Djokovic has a great opportunity to move in front of the Spaniard at this year's French Open. Ad Djokovic is in the quarter-finals at Roland-Garros this year, while 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal is out with a hip injury that has kept him out since January.

Novak Djokovic breaks record he shared with Rafael Nadal at French Open

Novak Djokovic broke a tie with rival Rafael Nadal by reaching the French Open quarterfinals for the record 17th time, never truly in trouble during a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Juan Pablo Varillas on Sunday.

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz advance to stay on collision course at French Open

Novak Djokovic surpassed Rafael Nadal's all-time record by reaching his 17th French Open quarter-final.

Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz Reach French Open Last 16 As Jessica Pegula, Andrey Rublev Exit

Novak Djokovic battled into the French Open fourth round for a 14th consecutive year on Friday as Carlos Alcaraz also progressed, after women's third seed Jessica Pegula and men's seventh-ranked Andrey Rublev were dumped out of the tournament. Djokovic has made headlines for his comments about Kosovo this week but his on-court progress has been relatively serene, reaching the second week without dropping a set. The Serb star was made to work hard by Spanish 29th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, who served for the first set and missed a set point in the second, but won 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5), 6-2 on Court Philippe Chatrier.