Holger Rune, vainqueur du tournoi en 2022, peut encore avoir des ambitions cette année au Rolex Paris Masters. Le Danois a pu faire plier ce vendredi Alex De Minaur, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. L'Australien avait besoin de grappiller de précieux points pour les ATP Finals mais il est tombé sur un os. Mené 4-5, 15-30 dans le dernier set, Rune s'est montré costaud pour tenir bon et finalement gagner trois jeux de suite. Le Danois reste en vie dans la course aux ATP Finals. Il devra gagner le tournoi puis ensuite enchaîner à Metz ou Belgrade pour aller à Turin.
Photo : @RolexParisMasters
Photo : @RolexParisMasters
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00:00Yeah, it was a good match. I think I started very well and played a good first set. He
00:08played good in the second set. Third set was really competitive and I think, you know,
00:13I took the match on my record at the end. I went for it. I got it, so I'm very pleased
00:17on how I ended the match.
00:20Congrats. It seems like it was a very tough match, mentally speaking, and you managed
00:32it being very calm. Maybe calmer than what we're used to see when we see you playing.
00:43Trust me, I was not calm at all. It was a big, big battle throughout the whole match.
00:49I had many opportunities that I didn't manage to take also, so that was very frustrating.
00:54But, yeah, I kept it together. I kept fighting. I kept looking forward, trying to find solutions.
00:59I have a lot of respect for Alex. He's a tough competitor. He makes you play an extra ball
01:04away, so I had to win it. That's what I told myself. I need to go for it in order to get
01:11what I want. I think tactically I played very smart, especially in the first and the third
01:15set. In the second set, I played more on his terms, and he played well, so credit to
01:21him. But I'm very happy with the way I handled the situation.
01:24Hi, Oliver. Congrats. It's been a bit of a tumultuous year for you regarding the changes
01:33in your team and everything. I'm just wondering how important it is for you to play that well
01:38here at the end of this season with Larsen, as you feel it clicking back as it was a couple
01:44of years ago?
01:45Yeah, as I said, it's great to be back with the people that I really trust and has been
01:51with me for all my life. It feels good. We're working well day in and day out. We all know
01:58each other very well, so it feels good. I feel like I'm building my game. Actually, I don't
02:05like the word saying back to the level I have, but we're improving. I think I'm playing better
02:09and better, moving better and better. I think it's good. I'm playing some good tennis when
02:16it matters the most on court. I'm very happy to get through today, to be in the semis.
02:22Hi, Holger. Congrats. Where do you find, at the end of the season when we've known you
02:32didn't have an easy year, where do you find this fire in your belly, this fighting spirit?
02:38It's really the way that I can give myself the best chance to win. It's by keep going.
02:45If I stop, I'm not going to win. I need to just push through it, even though today was
02:53obviously annoying losing the second set. That's life. The only thing I can do is to
02:58reset and come back and push. I know if I play my best tennis, I can beat anyone. That's
03:05what I told myself. Let's get back to it, give myself a chance to win the match. Physically,
03:09I know I'm good enough to play as long as it takes. About my tennis, I think if I play
03:16optimal and do the right thing, I can always give myself a chance to win.
03:20Has this year changed at all the way you're approaching the sport in general and the expectations
03:30that you're putting on yourself?
03:34I'm obviously working very, very hard every day to play better with my team, trusting
03:42the things that we're working on and just pushing the limits every day, like 1% better.
03:50I think, to answer your question, it's not really changed the way my approach is, but
03:57it's definitely very professional, very serious, and we're having good fun as well. It's a constant process.
04:08According to the notes of the ATP this morning, you've got a chance of going to the Masters,
04:13the finals. Is that like a thought or a goal or not at all?
04:20Not really, to be honest. My focus is just to do well here in Paris. It's this tournament
04:26that means almost everything to me. It's where it all started a few years back. My goal is
04:31to do as good as possible here, and then we'll see what happens after. Definitely, 100% of
04:36my focus is in Paris, and it's going to keep being in Paris until the job is done.
04:47Another match against Sacha in Paris. I guess you remember this one against Sacha in Roland-Garros.
04:52How do you forecast this one?
04:54First of all, how are you, man? It's going to be interesting. Sacha is a great player.
05:00He's been, not just this year, but consistently one of the best out there in the world. I'm
05:06looking forward to the challenge. We played an epic battle in Paris, and I'm looking forward,
05:12honestly. I'm going to try to play my best tennis and believe that I can give myself
05:18a chance to win, and let's see what happens.