AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 21, 2023

Holger Rune

Press Conference

H. RUNE/U. Humbert

6-4, 6-2, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Well done, Holger. In the round of 16. We all got a little bit scared when we watched you fall. Can you just update a little bit?

HOLGER RUNE: Yeah, as you saw, I fell in the beginning of the second set, but yeah, it wasn't too bad. I didn't twist. I fell directly over.

But yeah, I mean, I was able to play full. The third set, of course, I was a bit worried what happened, but I saw the slow motion after the match. Nothing dangerous. Didn't check it yet, but I was able to play.

You know, I relaxed a lot more because I was a bit afraid, but honestly I played very good after it happened. So I'm feeling hopeful.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. I wanted to ask you, we've seen Nadal is out of the tournament and Medvedev as well. I don't know if young players as you take it as an opportunity to bright in the biggest stage?

HOLGER RUNE: Well, honestly I don't think a lot about it. I just try to focus on each match I have to play at a time, and I was not going to face Rafa or Daniil right now, so I was just focusing on that match I'm going to play.

Of course, I know what's happening, but mainly I just focus on myself. I see every match is tough, and I have to be at 100% because everybody is playing amazing. Yeah, I was really solid today, I think. Good first set.

Yeah, then this happened in the second, but, you know, I came very strong out of it and, yeah, played good. I'm super happy with the way I handled everything today.

Q. Watching you play tennis you have so much energy. You can just feel it when you watch you play. How are you in everyday life? Do you wake up like that too?

HOLGER RUNE: No, not at all. I wake up super tired every day. I mean, I have a lot of energy as you saw when I play on the court. I think I use it in a very good way now. I think I'm using it on the positive, on the thing that I can actually -- that can actually, you know, be good for me like in the shots, get energy there.

You know, I mean, I think I manage my emotions very good today because obviously I was a bit afraid after I fell. But, you know, I check with the doctor on the court, and he said everything is -- there is not -- nothing to worry about right now.

So I just keep playing. And, you know, we are in a Grand Slam, so nothing is going to stop me.

Q. Does your energy come from nervousness, or does it come from ambition? What do you think it comes from on the court?

HOLGER RUNE: Well, I think passion, to be honest, because I have so much passion to play matches, to compete. To be in this kind of tournament is really exciting, so I think all of this together is bringing me so much energy, and basically I love to play tennis, and to play tennis in this event is what I've been dreaming about since I was a little kid, so I'm leaving it all out.

Q. We had Andrey in here about an hour ago talking about the match that you've got coming up. He mentioned you've gone from the underdog to now a really challenging year ahead, but you seem to be backing up and handling that expectation. Can I hear that from you how you're handling that and what Rublev is saying there?

HOLGER RUNE: Honestly, I never feel like an underdog in my serve because I have so high ambitions every time I play. Even we played each other last year in Paris. I was still believing that I could beat him, and I did beat him. He is a super tough opponent. He is obviously playing well here.

He won in straight sets today as well. And he is really solid. Like, forehand, backhand he can do anything on the tennis court. He has no weakness, so I really have to play good. I'll expecting a tough match, but really looking forward to it.

Q. Has it changed for you, though? Like moving into the top 10, the success you had at the end of last year, has it changed how you've approached these Grand Slams?

HOLGER RUNE: Not really. I am more confident when I enter the tournament, of course, because I built a lot last year. But, still, if you look at a match against Andrey on Monday, I know I have to play good to beat him. I knew that as well last year. Not a lot has changed in that way because Andrey is the same player. He is as good as he was last year if not better because he had time to improve.

Every match is tough, and I'm just trying to focus on me, what I can do, what I can do better each set at a time. And I think today in all the matches I played here it showed very well that I improved really quick throughout the matches.

Q. There's been a bit of a discussion about the tennis balls used. How have you found them? Do they play any different to how you expected, and is it having an impact on the matches at all?

HOLGER RUNE: The tennis balls?

Q. Some players have suggested that they're a little bit flatter or they go a little bit fluffy.

HOLGER RUNE: Actually, they get very fluffy very fast. Like, the first set I was very surprised. Especially playing Ugo, who is hitting very strong, and we hit strong together, so the balls were almost dead at 3-2 in the first set. And I was a bit surprised.

Yeah, I mean, I like the ball. Honestly, when it's new, it's really good. It's, of course, fast. But I think it's good, and luckily we changed balls pretty quick. Like, 7-9.

So it's not a big problem, but the beginning definitely was very slow because we hit with them five minutes for the warm-up, and then after playing seven games with them is -- they're pretty slow, yeah.

Q. You only played one match coming in here. Some of the guys have played a lot. Do you think it wasn't such a big deal to come in with one match?

HOLGER RUNE: Yeah, I mean, obviously not the ideal position to play only one match, but I finished the season very late last year, so in a way it was nice not to play so much to use all the energy in the upcoming tournaments before this. So, honestly, if you go in with the right mindset, I don't think it makes had a big difference.

Q. What do you like the most about yourself as a player right now, and where do you think you need work? What would you like to be able to improve the most?

HOLGER RUNE: I think honestly I'm playing well, actually. I think I'm managing very well how I'm playing each shot at a time on the court. I think I stay very close to the baseline, try to play as aggressive as I can and put the opponent under pressure. I'm trying to serve well, retain aggressive, and staying most of all very cool on the court, not using too much, you know -- not needed energy.

Pumping myself up when needed. But yeah, I mean, I'm trying to improve every day, honestly, mental, physical tennis-wise. It's a long process, and I'm far from finished still, and I think this is one of the beauty with tennis that you can always improve something, and this is what I really admire.