"Remember when Holger Rune thought he was on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz's level" - Fans ridicule Dane after shock US Open 1R loss

Holger Rune was stunned in the first round of the ongoing 2024 US Open by Brandon Nakashima on Monday, August 26. The Dane, the No. 15 seed in the men's singles main draw at the prestigious hardcourt Major, experienced an inexplicable capitulation, as Nakashima steamrolled his way to a 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 win. Unsurprisingly, fans have come out ridiculing Rune.

Former World No. 4 Rune has endured a miserable spell since his first-round loss at last year's US Open, with both his form and ranking dropping drastically. However, there was a sense that he was turning things around after a promising run to the semifinals of the Cincinnati Open ahead of this year's edition of the hardcourt Major.

Unfortunately, Rune couldn't maintain his Cincinnati Open momentum at Flushing Meadows. Nakashima overpowered the Dane with his clinical serve, producing 11 aces along the way. On the other side of the net, Rune struggled with his serve, hitting only 2 aces and producing 5 double faults. The World No. 15 also failed to make the most of the six break point opportunities he created, while Nakashima dispatched five of his 13.

Several fans took to X to ridicule Rune after his wretched display against Nakashima. A fan recalled his hope to eventually be a part of the new 'Big Three' in men's tennis alongside rivals Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

"Remember when Rune thought he was on the same level as Sinner and Alcaraz," the fan wrote.

"Rune is sooo bad ngl," commented another fan.

"Rune is a fraud," another chimed in.

"Rune is most overrated men's player in world," opined another.

There were other fans, who hyped up Nakashima after his dominant straight-sets victory over Rune.

"While Brandon continues to head in the right direction, Holger - aside from a good week in Mason Cincinnati - continues to head into the wrong direction," wrote one fan.

"Naka didn’t come to play," another commented.

"This isn’t an upset, Brandon is the best player in the world," added one more fan.

"Not really an upset tbh….," weighed in yet another fan.

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Holger Rune's constant chopping and changing of coaches seems to be working against him

Holger Rune (Source: Getty)

Arguably, Holger Rune's greatest achievement so far has been his 2022 Rolex Paris Masters title triumph. However, since then, the Dane has, for the most part, flattered to deceive. Rune has also experimented with several changes in his coaching setup, but results over the long run suggest that the incessant tinkering may have done the Dane more harm than good.

Following his abject first-round display at the US Open last year, he split for the second time with renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou. Rune proceeded to rope in Boris Becker not long after, and initially, the collaboration showed promise as the Dane reached the semifinals of the Swiss Indoors in Basel.

However, earlier this year, he ended his collaboration with Becker. Rune had briefly roped in Severin Luthi, Roger Federer's ex-coach, as well, but again, the relationship did not last long. The Dane reunited with Mouratoglou soon, but the two split for a third time towards the end of July. As things stand, the 21-year-old is being coached by compatriot and former pro, Kenneth Carlsen.