Rune’s semifinal opponent will be Casper Ruud, who beat Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (5), 6-4. 1 ranking to Carlos Alcaraz, another 20-year-old player, next week - even though Alcaraz was beaten by 135th-ranked Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan in the third round on Monday. With Djokovic eliminated, an 18-year streak of either him or Nadal playing in the Rome final ends.ĭjokovic will also lose the No. Nadal, who holds the record of 10 titles in Rome, is not playing as he remains hampered by a nagging hip injury, leaving his status for Roland Garros in question. But Rune then broke Djokovic’s serve twice early in the third.ĭjokovic committed 35 unforced errors to Rune’s 15, with 22 of those coming on his forehand.ĭjokovic has won the Italian Open six times, including last year, and failed to reach the final only once in eight previous editions - when he was beaten by Rafael Nadal in the semifinals in 2018. The match was then suspended because of rain with Rune serving to stay in the set at 4-5, 0-30.Īfter a suspension of more than an hour, Djokovic won two straight points to break Rune’s serve and take the second set. Rune also called for a trainer late in the second set to have his right leg treated. If not, I hope to make it in the other two Grand Slams.”ĭjokovic stormed out to a 5-2 lead in the second but Rune rallied back, winning a 34-shot rally with a sublime backhand drop-shot winner to set up a late break. “I hope it can be achieved at the French Open. “I want to win a Grand Slam this year,” Rune said. Rune, meanwhile, is boosting his credentials as a Grand Slam contender after a solid season on clay that included a runner-up finish in the Monte Carlo Masters, a title in Munich, and now a semifinal spot in his first main draw appearance in Rome. “I always like my chances in Grand Slams against anybody on any surface, best-of-five.” “I know I can always play better,” Djokovic said. He’s preparing for the French Open, which starts in 11 days. It wasn’t immediately clear what the issue was but it appeared that Djokovic swallowed a pill that the trainer gave him.ĭjokovic recently returned after three weeks off because of a lingering issue with his surgically repaired right elbow. The 35-year-old Djokovic didn’t appear at his best physically early on and called for a trainer after holding for a 2-1 lead in the second set. “If it’s working against Novak, it works against almost anybody,” Rune said of his performance. Unlike the win in Paris, which was a breakthrough moment for Rune, this one felt like a confirmation. “He kept his nerves and deserved to win.” He played too good for me for most part of the match,” Djokovic said. Just a very talented, dynamic player, all-around player. “In these kind of conditions, it’s very difficult to get the ball past him,” Djokovic said. He made his opponent hit extra balls on points that Djokovic thought he had already finished off.ĭjokovic said the consistently damp conditions at the Foro Italico this week were challenging for him. Rune, who also defeated Djokovic in the Paris Masters final in November, gave the Serb fits with his rapid court coverage. 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. 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. ROME – Novak Djokovic sees a bit of himself in Holger Rune.
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