"Threats against me, my family, will be reported to police" - Holger Rune's sister Alma issues stern warning after Dane's Shanghai Masters shock loss

Holger Rune’s sister Alma was subjected to social media abuse following the Dane’s latest loss at the 2023 Shanghai Masters. She has now issued a public statement condemning the act.

Tournament third seed Holger Rune faced a shocking upset at the hands of World No. 122 Brandon Nakashima in his Round-of-64 opening match at the Shanghai Masters on Friday, October 6. The Dane won a mere two games in the encounter, going down 6-0, 6-2 in one hour and nine minutes.

This was Rune’s sixth loss since his Wimbledon quarterfinal defeat to Carlos Alcaraz. He has won just one match since the grasscourt Slam – against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the opening round of the recently concluded China Open.

Due to his disappointing run of form in recent months, Holger Rune has become the target of social media abuse.

After the Dane crashed out of the Shanghai Masters, his sister, Alma, came forward with the claim that she and her family were being sent ‘threats’ on social media.

Alma Rune warned she would be taking the matter to the police if the abusive messages continued.

“Just to be very clear, threats against me and my family has and will be reported to the police. And for information, the consequences are not milder because it’s online,” she wrote on her Instagram story.

Rune’s sister then asked for the public to show kindness towards others.

“And for all the other hateful messages.. please, it doesn’t hurt to try and be nice,” she added.

Alma Rune on Instagram

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Holger Rune will look to book a spot in the 2023 ATP Finals

Holger Rune at the 2023 China Open

Holger Rune enjoyed a decent first half of the season. He won his fourth career trophy by successfully defending the BMW Open title. He also made two Masters 1000 finals in Monte-Carlo and Rome and reached the quarterfinals of the French Open and Wimbledon.

However, his ongoing hard court season has been a let-down, which is mainly attributed to a persistent back issue. Holger Rune’s campaign at the ongoing Shanghai Masters did not pan out well either.

Despite the disappointments, the 20-year-old will still have a chance to finish the year on a strong note as he is expected to contest three other tournaments – the Stockholm Open, the Swiss Indoors Basel and the Paris Masters.

It is worth noting that the Dane has 1550 points to defend at these tournaments, having been the champion in Stockholm and Paris and the finalist in Basel.

Rune, currently ranked World No. 5, will thus have his work cut out ahead of the ATP Finals, with four of the eight spots already filled by Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner.

The 20-year-old is aiming to make his debut at the event after narrowly missing out on the spot last year. He is currently ranked eighth in the race, and is locked in a battle with Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz and Casper Ruud, who are currently placed in the fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth and tenth spots, respectively.