"And Holger Rune thinks he can beat Alcaraz and Sinner" - Fans react as Dane falls to World No. 67 in first match after bold claim at Davis Cup

Holger Rune's Davis Cup campaign came to an end after defeat to World No. 67, Pedro Martinez. This garnered the attention of the fans, who mocked him for making a bold statement about beating Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Rune, who is currently world No. 11, had recently made a bold claim of having the capability of beating Alcaraz and Sinner in an interview ahead of his match at the Davis Cup. However, his Davis Cup campaign did not pan out as expected, as he fell short of sending the Danish team among the eight best nations in the world by missing a match point in his clash against Martinez.

Their clash lasted for three long hours, which ended with the Spaniard's 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 win over the Dane. This loss garnered a lot of backlash from the fans, who trolled Rune for his claim of defeating Sinner and Alcaraz. One of the users on X reacted to the world No. 11's loss, writing:

"And Rune thinks he can beat Sinner and Alcaraz😂😂😂😂 he is lucky if he wins a 500 without them in it."

Another user on Reddit analyzed Martinez's play on the court, trolling Rune's skills, writing:

"Martinez wins his singles match alongside his doubles match and levels this tie at 2-2. He saved a match point down 3-5 in the third set."

One tennis enthusiast on X highlighted Rune's statement about Alcaraz and Sinner, saying:

"Wasn’t he just talking about how he could beat Sincaraz?! Lmao"

Along similar lines, another user commented:

"rune an absolute mess."

What did Holger Rune say about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz?

In an interview with Bola VIP, ahead of his Davis Cup matches, Holger Rune exuded confidence in his abilities, making a bold statement about besting Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Opening up about his inconsistency on the court, he said that it holds him back; however, he knows that he can defeat the World No. 1 and 2, who have solidified their place in the sport by delivering stellar performances at Major tournaments.

Revealing his strategy of keeping it simple on the court, he said:

“I feel like I’m lacking some consistency in my identity as a tennis player. Often, I go into matches with a relatively offensive mindset, while other times I come in with a grinder’s mindset. That’s the danger... I try to keep it as simple as possible. Of course, it’s inspiring to see Carlos and Jannik play at that level, but I also know that I can beat them,” said Holger Rune.

Ahead of the Davis Cup, Holger Rune competed at the US Open, where he couldn't progress further than the second round after being overpowered by Jan-Lennard Struff.

Edited by Tushar Bahl