"I don't think so" - Holger Rune disagrees with Novak Djokovic saying they have similar playing styles

Holger Rune has shared his perspective on Novak Djokovic's remarks regarding the similarities in their playing styles, following their clash at the 2023 ATP Finals on Sunday, November 12.

In a thrilling rematch of their Paris Masters quarterfinal, Djokovic secured a hard-fought 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 6-3 victory over Rune to improve to 3-2 in their head-to-head record.

After their match at the Paris Masters, the 24-time Grand Slam champion had praised Rune and called him an 'all-round player.' He had also highlighted some similarities in their playing styles.

Djokovic reiterated this opinion in both his post-match interview and press conference in Turin, and attributed their closely contested battles to their similar approaches on the court.

"Somehow whenever we face each other, it's always a very close match. We play very similar styles of tennis. I think that's probably also the contributor to close matches," Djokovic said during his press conference.

When asked to weigh in on the Serb's viewpoint, Rune expressed his appreciation for the comparison but added that he personally did not see their playing styles as similar.

"No. I mean, of course, I take the compliment that he's saying we play similar. I don't think so, but that's my opinion. It's good to be comparing with him. He's one of the greatest that we ever had in the game," he said in his post-match press conference.

The 20-year-old also reviewed his performance in the match, expressing satisfaction with his physicality and effective energy management.

"I think physically I felt okay. Of course, I feel it. We played three hours. But I'm sure he also felt it a little bit. I was ready, if I had the chance, from 5-3 to 5-4 to keep going, but that didn't happen. I think I tried to manage my energy as good as possible during the match, not use too many, like, energy, unnecessary energy, and stay calm and play the tennis that I like to play," he said.

"Novak Djokovic is an amazing player" - Holger Rune

Holger Rune at the 2023 ATP Finals

Despite his defeat to Novak Djokovic, Holger Rune maintained a positive outlook after the match. He expressed his intention to determine the positives and negatives in the clash and make the necessary adjustments during practice.

"Yeah, I mean, we have had great matches always when we played. Yeah, unfortunately I couldn't do it today, but that's how it is. I have to look forward and take the things out of the match I was happy with, take the things out of the match that I wasn't happy with, and go back to the practice tomorrow and try to make them better," he said.

The Dane remarked that his match against Djokovic at the ATP Finals had a superior level of play compared to their recent Paris Masters quarterfinal. He also expressed his admiration for the Serb, describing him as an "amazing" player.

"I thought it was a higher level match than in Paris. That I'm glad. The result was pretty similar, I would say, like in Paris. For sure, yeah, it's great. I mean, Novak is, yeah, an amazing player," he said.