Holger Rune's mother Aneke "impressed" with Dane's fighting spirit despite Madrid Open exit

Holger Rune's mother Aneke shared her support for the Dane after his third-round exit from the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid Open.

After a tough battle against Alexander Bublik in his tournament opener, Rune took on home favorite Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round of the Masters 1000 event. Fokina secured the first set in a tiebreak before the World No. 7 bounced back in the second to level their scores.

Despite forcing a tiebreak after overcoming a 3-5 deficit in the third set, Rune was unable to extend his five-match win streak as the Spaniard emerged victorious after a three hour and five minute long thriller, winning 7-6(1), 5-7, 7-6(5).

After his defeat, Rune took to social media to address his Madrid Open exit. He stated that his body will appreciate the rest before he begins his preparations for the upcoming Masters event in Rome and the French Open.

"Adios @mutuamadridopen. I am sure my body appreciates some rest now before preparation starts for @internazionalibnlditalia Rome and Paris @rolandgarros," he captioned a post on Instagram.

Rune's mother, Aneke, reshared the post and expressed her amazement at his fighting spirit despite suffering from fatigue caused by his deep runs at recent tournaments.

"I am impressed. Fatigue from 2 tournaments and 2 finals the past weeks, and still fighting till the end," Aneke Rune posted.

Aneke Rune's Instagram story

Holger Rune has had a very successful claycourt season so far. He made a run to the finals of the Monte-Carlo Masters, losing to Andrey Rublev in a closely-contested encounter.

He followed that up with a triumphant title defense at the BMW Open in Munich after saving five match points in a tough final against Botic van de Zandschulp.

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Holger Rune is a very good player, says Alejandro Davidovich Fokina after Madrid Open clash

Holger Rune at the 2023 Madrid Open.

After his win against Holger Rune, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina stated that it was physically and mentally taxing for him to come through with a win against a "very good player".

"Mentally and physically it was very hard. Rune is a very good player. It was always tough games and we had to stay focussed on every service, because you never know when you [can] have the break point," he said in his post-match interview.

Fokina will take on Borna Coric, who defeated 12th seed Hubert Hurkacz in straight sets, 7-6(3), 6-3, in the fourth round of the Madrid Open on Tuesday, May 2.