"Hard to defend Holger Rune these days"; "Grow up" - Fans blast Dane as he blames Argentina Open courts for heartbreaking loss

Tennis fans criticized Holger Rune for attributing his defeat at the 2025 Argentina Open to the condition of the courts. The Dane also went on to express that he is uncertain about participating in the tournament in the future.

Rune was seeded second at the ATP 250 clay court event and he started his campaign in the second round after receiving a first-round bye. He faced home favorite Mariano Navone in his opening match and suffered a 1-6, 6-7(2) loss.

Following the conclusion of the match, Holger Rune complimented the tournament's organization but criticized the court conditions, labeling them as "not good." He also mentioned his doubts about returning to the tournament in the future.

“The Buenos Aires tournament is well organized, but the courts are not good. I don’t know if I will play here again. I will review my calendar,” Rune said (via Match Tenis).

Tennis fans were miffed after Rune blamed the court conditions for his defeat at the Argentina Open. They took to social media to express their disapproval of the Dane's comments and the fans also shared their thoughts on the same.

One fan stated that they are finding it challenging to defend Holger Rune after the remarks he made.

“Hard to defend Holger these days. This place gave you your first ATP match via WC. You got an appearance fee here; now you shit over them? Low blow, Holger," a fan posted.

Another fan suggested that Rune should "grow up" and take responsibility for his defeat instead of blaming court conditions.

“Holger being Holger.. @holgerrune2003 child be humble! Remember when you said that the new generation was you, Sinner and Carlitos. You have never been in that equation because you talk a lot and do little. You lost because you didn't find the rhythm, you were slow and imprecise. Grow up!" a fan wrote.

“Obviously he won't play here again if he continues like this. He will probably be playing the Tenerife challenger around this time," a fan posted.

Here are a few other fan reactions:

“For over a year he has been losing matches that should have been easy for his level, and now it turns out that the problem is the courts. Okay," a fan wrote.

“Mr. Holger Rune should remember that he was given a WC here when he was a nobody! Above the Argentines, he was given a WC here. So a little more respect," a fan posted.

“Dear Holger. The tennis courts in Argentina were praised by great tennis players. Navone was better from start to finish and he eliminated you because he played better tennis," a fan posted.

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Holger Rune will next compete at Mexican Open 2025 in Acapulco

Holger Rune at the 2024 Mexican Open [Image Source: Getty Images]

Holger Rune is next expected to compete at the 2025 Mexican Open, which is scheduled to be held at the Arena GNP Seguros in Acapulco, Mexico from February 24 to March 1, 2025.

This will mark Rune's third appearance at the ATP 500 hard court tournament, having previously competed in 2023 and 2024 where he reached the semifinals on both occasions.

In 2023, the Dane defeated the likes of Ben Shelton and Nuno Borges in the first and second rounds, respectively. He then went on to overcome Matteo Berrettini in the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Alex de Minaur in the semifinals.

Last year, Holger Rune entered the 2024 Mexican Open as the second seed. He began by defeating American qualifiers Michael Mmoh and Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first two rounds respectively and then emerged victorious against Dominik Koepfer in the quarterfinals. However, his campaign ended in the semifinals when he lost to eventual runner-up Casper Ruud.