French Open 2022 - 'I don't send my mother away' - Holger Rune after 'leave!' shout controversy

Holger Rune has been forced to deny shouting ‘leave!’ to his mother, Aneke, during his French Open quarter-final defeat to Casper Ruud. The 19-year-old was beaten 6-1 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-3 on the night, in a match which ran until 12.30am in Paris. Ad/> Frustrations clearly reached boiling point for the 19-year-old, as at one stage he was heard to shout 'leave!' a number of times in succession.

Roland-Garros‘That was pretty frosty’ — Henman and Corretja on Rune’s handshake with RuudAN HOUR AGO Shortly afterwards, his mother did indeed get out of her seat and leave the stadium. However, she was doing so frequently during the match and speaking to Eurosport, Rune insisted the instruction to leave was directed at someone else. «First of all, I didn’t tell my mother to leave the stadium,» he said.

«That’s not why. It was another person. So that’s wrong.

»It’s of course frustrating to be in my first Grand Slam quarter-final and play so much below my usual level, especially in the first set. I didn’t hit the balls properly at all. That’s frustrating when you want it as bad as I want it." Rune added in a post on social media: «I love my mother and I don’t send her away.

When I’m frustrated it can help that either my mother or coach leaves so I don’t have two people to refer to. She also left at some point against Stefanos [Tsitsipas]. To give me ease.

She controls it, not me.» His mother then told media: «I also slipped away during the match against Stefanos Tsitsipas at one point. When Holger turns too much off the field, it is sometimes easier that there is only one reference person, the coach, he can apply to. »The same thing I chose to do today to give him some peace of mind.