Holger Rune hits back at online abuse over alleged lack of sportsmanship following double bounce controversy

Holger Rune has responded to the social media abuse directed at him over his perceived lack of sportsmanship at the 2023 French Open.

Rune put on an impressive showing in his fourth-round clash against Francisco Cerundolo, coming through with a thrilling 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6(7) win to advance to the quarterfinals in Paris. But the Dane's hard-fought victory was marred by a moment of controversy that occurred in the third set, when he hit the ball after a double bounce.

The double bounce escaped the chair umpire Kader Nouni's attention, causing Cerundolo to stop play. But the Argentine's appeal failed to convince Nouni, who awarded the point to Rune.

In his post-match press conference, Rune claimed that he did not notice the double bounce until he saw the replays. He placed the blame for the incident on the chair umpire, while acknowledging that it was human nature to make mistakes.

A Twitter user attacked Rune following the incident and accused him of forgetting fair play and sportsmanship.

"Back home in Denmark a get your fair play & sportsmanship that you forget, if ever you already have it," the user tweeted.

But Holger Rune quickly hit back at the user with some sarcastic comments of his own.

"And I really don't understand what you write? You express yourself very bad. And the ugly emojis is you? I guess so," Rune tweeted.

The 20-year-old also questioned the motivation behind such comments, asking why people chose to spend their time on negative emotions instead of focusing on things that made them happy.

"I never understood the need to hate. Why not spend time on what makes you happy," he commented.

Holger Rune set to face Casper Ruud in blockbuster French Open QF clash

Holger Rune through to the 2023 French Open QF

Holger Rune will take on Casper Ruud in a highly anticipated clash French Open quarterfinal on Wednesday, June 6. The clash marks a repeat from last year's tournament, which saw Ruud beat Rune 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-3 after a tense and dramatic encounter.

The Dane recently acknowledged last year's encounter with Ruud and expressed his desire for a smoother match this time around.

"Yeah, I mean, obviously there was drama last year and I hope we can make less drama this year," Rune said. "We played each other in Rome. It was a good match, I think."

Casper Ruud leads 4-1 in his head-to-head against Holger Rune. But it was Rune who emerged victorious in their most recent match, in the 2023 Italian Open semifinal.