"Holger Rune needs to clear house, fire everyone immediately" - Fans concerned for Dane as he crashes out to World No. 160 at Hangzhou Open

Holger Rune crashing out of the 2024 Hangzhou Open to World No. 160 Yasutaka Uchiyama in straight sets has sparked discussions among the tennis fraternity. The Dane has been struggling with a slump in his form and is currently on a three-match losing streak.

Rune had made some impressive strides over the last couple of years, clinching four titles, which also included a Paris Masters in 2022. He was an alternate at the Nitto ATP Finals in 2022 and made it to the round-robin stage last year.

The 21-year-old's steady rise earned him comparisons with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, and they were also widely considered by many fans as the new Big 3, following in the footsteps of the legendary trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.

Having said that, while Alcaraz and Sinner have won multiple majors, including all four this year, and reached the summit of the ATP rankings, the Dane's career has seen an opposite trend in 2024. He has failed to make it past the fourth round at majors and hasn't captured a single title this year.

Rune entered the Hangzhou Open hoping to find some rhythm. Seeded first, he received a bye in the first round and faced Yasutaka Uchiyama in the second. Widely considered the favorite to get the win, Rune was stunned 5-7, 4-6 and crashed out of the ATP 250 event.

Fans are concerned about the Dane's recent slump and took to X (formerly Twitter) to react to his defeat. A fan said Holger Rune needs to get a fresh start.

"Holger Rune needs to clear house. Fire everyone associated with him immediately. His career has gone in the f***ing gutter. Absolutely blown away by a Challenger player not near the top 100. Easiest singles title of his life and he can’t make it out of the first round," the fan opined.

Another fan said that Rune's peak has ended.

"RUNE is sadly washed," the fan felt.

Another fan felt sorry for the Dane as his struggles continued.

"I feel so sorry for him because he's struggling so much," a fan mentioned.

Here are some other reactions from the fans.

"Been a rough year for the self proclaimed member of the new big 3" a fan quipped.

"I remember when people compared him to Sinner," a fan said.

"Extremely embarrassing from Rune. Uchiyama did absolutely nothing impressive, Rune just found a way to lose," a fan said.

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"Hopefully they'll be calling us the next Big Three" - Holger Rune on comparisons to the Big Three alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

Holger Rune (Source: Getty)

Back in July, Holger Rune said to The Telegraph that being compared to Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer alongside Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz wasn't possible early in their careers due to the disparity in their results. He was, however, excited by the prospect of being a part of the new Big 3 and felt that rivalries would only make the sport more interesting.

"We (Sinner, Alcaraz and Rune) cannot compare ourselves at all yet to Novak, Rafa and Roger, but the fact that people are starting to talk about the next Big Three is exciting. It's what makes tennis bigger, exciting. Rivalries are very important. It's interesting to have all characters, that's why hopefully they'll be calling us the next Big Three," Rune said.

Djokovic himself called Alcaraz, Sinner, and Rune the next Big Three last year after winning the Nitto ATP Finals.