"World No. 4 in the Novak Djokovic era, wish Nadal & Federer had it this easy" - Fans react as Holger Rune's losses pile up with Stockholm Open upset

Tennis fans were left stunned as Holger Rune's poor run of form continued with a second-round defeat to Miomir Kecmanovic at the 2023 Stockholm Open on Wednesday (October 18).

Rune's on-court struggles date back to his quarterfinal loss to Carlos Alcaraz at the Wimbledon Championships. The Dane has lost six of his subsequent seven matches, with his solitary win coming over Felix Auger-Aliassime at the China Open.

After suffering opening-round exits at the US Open, as well as the Masters 1000 events in Toronto, Cincinnati and Shanghai, the World No. 6 entered the ATP 250 Stockholm Open as the defending champion and top seed. However, the 20-year-old was unable to turn his fortunes around as he was defeated by World No. 53 Miomir Kecmanovic 7-6(3), 6-2 in his tournament opener.

The defeat also dealt a substantial blow to his chances of securing a spot in the 2023 ATP Finals. The Dane currently occupies the eighth spot in the Race to Turin. However, his position in the final qualifying spot is under threat from ninth-ranked Taylor Fritz, who is still in contention for the Japan Open title.

Tennis fans couldn't contain their shock at Holger Rune's prolonged slump in performance, with one fan expressing astonishment over his rise to a career-high ranking of World No. 4 in August this year.

"This guy was world number four in the Novak Djokovic era. I wish Nadal and Federer had it this easy," the fan posted.

"How is Holger Rune 6th in the world rankings," another fan wondered.

Other fans, meanwhile, urged the Dane to end his season early and instead focus on regaining his top form in time for the Australian Open next year.

"Holger, for the sake of your body finish your season now. Clearly there a major problem and making sure you are ready for Australia is the most important thing now," one fan wrote.

"Holger Rune should end his season and recover well for next season. He's not helping things by still playing," another fan chimed in.

Here are a few more fan reactions:

Holger Rune opens up about training with Boris Becker amid potential partnership rumors

Holger Rune

Following his opening-round defeat to Brandon Nakashima at the 2023 Shanghai Masters, Holger Rune took to social media and shared a glimpse of his practice session with tennis legend Boris Becker.

"Great practice week in Monaco 🙌🏽💪🏽," he captioned his Instagram post.

Amid reports of Becker joining the Dane's coaching team, Rune shared insights into his longstanding association with the six-time Grand Slam champion, having received valuable advice from the German in the past.

The youngster also mentioned the positive impact of Becker's influence, highlighting the former World No. 1's ability to understand his mentality given his own experience as a professional tennis player.

"You can feel it. That's really a big difference. He can feel what I'm feeling. He can't just say what he thinks I'm feeling, but he can feel it because he's been in those situations himself. So it's a different sensation and feeling. It is definitely a good thing to have someone who has tried it himself," Holger Rune told TV 2 Sport.