"People hope I will lose everything & never win a Grand Slam" – Holger Rune accuses the ATP of neglect as he continues fight against online hate

Holger Rune is yet to fully find his footing this year. Most recently, he crashed out of the Indian Wells Masters with a loss to three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka in the third round.

As has become an unfortunate norm in recent times, the teenager was targeted by online haters after the defeat. In response, Holger Rune took to Instagram to blast the abusers who made derogatory remarks against him.

The Paris Masters champion later continued his rant on Twitter. Rune expressed his disappointment with current society, whose growing intolerance, he believes, has plagued not just sports but also school-goers.

“Don’t think people will (change for the better) before it makes them feel bad. No one dares to stand out. So I think a good start would be to block or erase. Not just in sports but clearly a massive problem in schools also,” he said.

Rune further claimed that the growing mental health concerns in younger generations stemmed mainly from social media interactions.

“I read that the reason why most children are sad is because of bad comments on social media’s,” Holger Rune remarked.

The 19-year-old also criticized official social media accounts such as the ATP for failing to protect its players and neglecting the consistent bullying.

“That’s just not ok and I don’t understand that public medias like the ATP Tour and others allow these comments and don’t erase. If 20 people write shit then others will feel it’s ok too,” he said.

Rune later clarified that he was referring to the “unintelligent” people who spew hate in the comments and make negative remarks about the future of players.

“I am not afraid of critics. I am talking about writing useless shit, sending clown faces or writing I am an idiot and people hope I will lose everything and never win a grand slam. These comments and those people are unintelligent,” Holger Rune declared.

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"I know I will strike back; I always do" – Holger Rune optimistic about turning the corner despite wavering form in 2023

Holger Rune at Indian Wells 2023

Holger Rune also reflected on his 2023 season so far after his Indian Wells exit. The player, who reached a career-high ranking of World No. 8 on March 6, is yet to make a significant impact on tour this year; he faced a fourth-round exit at the Australian Open and a third-round exit at Indian Wells.

Rune's best results so far have been semifinal appearances in Montpellier and Acapulco.

“This year I did not reach my best level many times and today I think I reached my lowest,” Rune said after his Indian Wells loss to Stan Wawrinka. “Still I was fighting with what I had, but it’s tough when you don’t feel your strokes ,your physical or your mental is working.”

The Dane, however, is confident that he will turn the corner and return to his top form as always.

“I know I will strike back. I always do #lovemyfamily,” he said.