Holger Rune turns emotional as he sends touching message to his family after Indian Wells final loss to Jack Draper

Holger Rune failed to win a second ATP Masters 1000 title, losing the Indian Wells final to Jack Draper. He never looked entirely comfortable on court, falling in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, in an hour and nine minutes.

The Dane, nonetheless, overcame a slow start to the season, reaching his first final after posting big wins over the likes of Daniil Medvedev, Ugo Humbert, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Reflecting on his performance over the week, Rune decided to take a moment to thank the people who have supported him throughout his career. He became emotional when he mentioned his family back home.

In a touching message, Rune said his family meant everything to him before tearing up during his speech only to be met with warm applause from the packed crowd at Stadium 1.

“I also want to say thanks to my family back home. They mean everything to me,” Holger Rune said.

Notably, Rune has a close relationship with his family, especially his mother, Aneke, who often travels with him on Tour. His older sister Alma also plays tennis and was one of the main inspirations for him to take up the sport. He has also often described his mother as one of his biggest supporters.

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Holger Rune takes home runner-up trophy at Indian Wells

Holger Rune in action during the Indian Wells final. (Source: Getty)

Holger Rune has lifted an ATP Masters 1000 title previously, taking home the trophy on the indoor courts of Paris-Bercy back in 2023. He had at the time ousted none other than Novak Djokovic in the summit clash.

He was, however, a pale shadow of that in the finals showing here at Indian Wells. He fired only one ace and was winning only around 55% of the first-serve points. In a more worrying statistic, he failed to generate a single break point throughout the encounter.

His opponent, Jack Draper, took advantage of the lapses to close out the biggest win of his career. He had earlier beaten Carlos Alcaraz to book a spot in the summit clash.

Rune, meanwhile, has also scored big wins this week. He beat the likes of the big-hitting Ugo Humbert and former top-10 player Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to the semifinal, where he ran into Daniil Medvedev. The Dane, however, proved too strong for the Russian.

Both Rune and Draper will next be seen in action at the Miami Open, which commences with main draw action next week.