"Holger Rune's a jerk"; "Attitude never improves" - Fans furious over Dane screaming at his mother during Shanghai Masters loss to Valentin Vacherot

Holger Rune at the 2025 National Bank Open in Toronto (Source: Getty)
Holger Rune at the 2025 National Bank Open in Toronto (Source: Getty)

Holger Rune's attitude was questioned by several tennis fans after the Dane was caught on camera screaming at his mother Aneke and the rest of his team during his shocking quarterfinal exit from the 2025 Shanghai Masters. Rune was the No. 10 seed in the men's singles draw of the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 event, but he was ousted by unseeded qualifier Valentin Vacherot from Monaco in the last eight.

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The 22-year-old Dane dominated his Monegasque opponent in the first set to win it 6-2. However, Vacherot admirably held on in the second to clinch it 7-6(4) and took the match to a decider. In the third set, Rune began struggling physically with cramps, as has been the case for many players at this year's Shanghai Masters, due to the unbearably hot and humid conditions.

What arguably made things worse for the former World No. 4 was the way his frustrations started to get the better of him. Serving for the seventh game of the deciding set and finding himself 0-30 down with the score at 3-3, Holger Rune lashed out at mother Aneke and his coaches as well. In his fit of rage, the 22-year-old probably forgot that he'd ran the shot clock down, which earned him a warning for time violation.

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Most tennis fans on Reddit vociferously objected to Rune's behavior with his mother and the rest of his team at the Shanghai Masters.

"Wow. Mr. Rune is a jerk," one fan wrote.
"He’s a punk with talent but he’s his own problem, his attitude never improves, it’s been years now. Waste of talent," commented another.
"What happened to just closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths, Holger?," asked one.
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"The most unsympathetic thing about this clip is him throwing his towel back like this ball boy is his slave," opined one fan.
"All anybody needs to know about a person's character," another added.
"Well also his mom won't let him go, so he won't grow up. She needs to stop doting on him so much so he can learn to be an adult," yet another fan chimed in.
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The Dane ultimately lost the third set 4-6 and exited the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 hardcourt event.

"Holger Rune has to focus his attention to what is happening between the lines" - Tim Henman at French Open 2025

Holger Rune at the 2025 French Open (Source: Getty)
Holger Rune at the 2025 French Open (Source: Getty)

At this year's French Open, Holger Rune survived a scare against home hope Quentin Halys in the third round. The Dane stirred controversy during the match by demanding the chair umpire to eject a fan. According to Rune, the fan had tried to grab him. However, in all likelihood, the fan was reaching for a towel thrown by the Dane in frustration.

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Later, former No. 4 Tim Henman, who was covering the clay Major for TNT Sports, opined that such outbursts keep taking away from Rune's on-court performances.

"I think the fan is probably looking to get a bit involved but you could see Rune going over there giving the advertising hoarding a kick and slamming the towel down and then going back to it. At the end of the day it’s that type of attitude that we have seen a lot from Rune and he has to focus his attention to what is happening between the lines," Henman said.

The 2025 season so far has yielded one title for Holger Rune at the Barcelona Open, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the final.

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Edited by Sudipto Pati
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