Holger Rune described beating Novak Djokovic for his first Masters title as «the best feeling» as he admitted that the last game of the Paris Masters final was the most stressful game of his career. Rune, 19, caused an upset in the Paris final when he defeated six-time Paris champion Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
En route to winning Paris, Rune also defeated Stan Wawrinka, Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Felix Auger-Aliassime. «It means everything to me, a perfect way to end the week. It’s a privilege to share the court with Novak,» Rune said, according to the ATP website.
Rune, who entered the week enjoying a career-high ranking of No. 18 in the world, is poised for a new career high by moving up to No. 10 on Monday. “I feel great to be honest, it’s the best feeling. If you told me four weeks ago, I’d be in the Top 10, I’d say ‘What, I’m sorry?’
Now I’m here and I’m very proud,» Rune said.
Rune’s admission in the final game against Djokovic
Serving for the match in game 12 of the third set, Djokovic put pressure on Rune. But Rune, who was playing in his first Masters final, saved six break points in game 12 before earning his second match point to complete a three-set win over Djokovic.
«It was the most stressful match of my life. My heart was almost in my brain. I was already starting to think about the tiebreaker. I’m so proud to be able to finish it,» Rune reflected. For Rune, it was another great week.
In Paris, Rune made his fourth consecutive final. In the last 40 days, Rune made four finals in a row. In those four finals, Rune made it as far as Stockholm and Paris, while he finished runner-up in Sofia and Basel.
