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Holger Rune jokingly responded to the reason for losing his signature-style hat to let the air in so he doesn't lose his hair by the time he turns fifty.
The Dane locked horns with Sebastian Baez in the second round of the 2023 Swiss Indoors Basel. Both opponents started strong and took the first set to a tiebreak. Rune won the tie, and with a boost in confidence, dominated the second set. The Dane eventually won, 7-6(2), 6-1, to seal his spot in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
In his on-court interview, the 20-year-old was asked why he wasn't wearing his hat at the tournament, which he typically wears flipped backwards, with a lock of hair coming out the strap.
He replied:
"Yeah, it's a good question. So, it's very [pauses] for those who dont know, it's very hot in this arena. So, yesterday after the first set, I was sweating a lot, you know, I had to control it all the time."
The World No. 6 joked that though it is purely coincidental, he has been winning ever since he lost the hat.
"So it's like, why not, let's play without it and see what happens and it's not that I'm superstitious but it's working pretty well," he added.
He showed off his humorous side by stating that all that air would help ensure he has a head full of hair in his old age.
"I think that it's good to get some air for the hair as well, if you want to have hair when you're fifty [laughs]. So, yeah, I'm enjoying myself."
Holger Rune to square off against Tomas Etcheverry in Swiss Indoors Basel QF
Holger Rune successfully continued his good form at the 2023 Swiss Indoors Basel with a second-round victory over Sebastian Baez. He will next encounter Tomas Etcheverry in the quarterfinal on Friday, October 27.
This is the Dane's first tournament with his new coach, six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker and he will hope to have a title-winning run.
Meanwhile, Tomas Etcheverry opened his campaign with a victory over No. 8 seed Sebastian Korda. He will come into the match after a three-set win over three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray in the previous round.
Interestingly, this will be the first meeting between Rune and Etcheverry on the ATP Tour.
