ATP Masters Monte-Carlo: This is how Holger Rune pulled Dominic Thiem's tooth
Holger Rune gave an impressive performance in his second-round win against Dominic Thiem at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Monte Carlo.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Apr 12, 2023, 09:52 pm
By Jens Huiber from Monte Carlo
The reporter on site should be alien to any superstition (and in this specific case it is). But the local conditions sometimes dictate that you can watch the matches from the exact same seat. Which now almost challenges a comparison of different games. In the Monte Carlo Country Club, the journalists' grandstand is located directly in front of the clubhouse, diagonally at the top right when viewed from the referee's chair.
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What could be observed from there? That Dominic Thiem met two opponents who could hardly have been more different in their approach. First of all, there is the court position from which Richard Gasquet tried to design the game compared to Holger Rune: Thiem assigned Gasquet a place quite well behind the baseline. Holger Rune didn't even think about it, often attacking the Austrian's second serve from within the baseline.
Alcaraz half a floor higher than Rune
Rune may have lost some of the sympathy of tennis fans with his behavior - but if you look objectively at how the Dane designs his game, then it's just great. Holger Rune plays incredibly clever, scatters almost moon balls here and there, then picks up the pace again, plays serve volley. The approach to the game is reminiscent of Carlos Alcaraz, who is probably half a floor up. Yes, and if he needs it, Rune will also accept a warning for waiting too long with the service.
In the 6: 2 and 6: 4 against Dominic Thiem, Rune was untouchable as a server until the very last game. Because he can do both: kick and full pipe. Incidentally, Thiem did not play worse than against Richard Gasquet - from the point of view of the report, which is obliged to be neutral. A few times he massaged Rune in the forehand corner so much that the youngster couldn't think of anything else either.
See you again with Thiem in Munich?
But it was impressive how Holger Rune determined the course of the game. Don't forget: While Thiem was able to get used to the sand in Estoril and in the first round of Monte-Carlo, it was Rune's first appearance on Terre Battue this season.
Dominic Thiem could now have an opportunity for revenge next week: both players have called for Munich. Rune arrives as the defending champion, Thiem as a former finalist. Should it actually come to a reunion, then under completely different conditions: while in Monte-Carlo the games were played in early summer temperatures, the weather forecast for Munich looks more like a return of the ice saints.
Here the individual tableau in Monte Carlo
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