In the wake of the controversy surrounding his match against Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters, Holger Rune has taken to social media to criticize the ATP Tour.
In a superb match on Friday, World No. 7 Rune was defeated 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3; as a result, the Dane will no longer be ranked in the top 10.
But another on-court dispute in Monte Carlo, where Rune vigorously challenged an unsportsmanlike behavior warning issued against him, overshadowed the outcome.
Following an early time violation serving at 5-5, 0-30 down in the second set, the Dane made a gesture that seemed to be telling the Monte Carlo crowd to shut up, which only served to inflame their ire.
As a result, Rune refused to play until the supervisor had been called, and umpire Damien Dumusois issued him a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Rune was unable to reverse the warning, but he was still able to force a deciding set by saving two match points.
The fourth round battle between Rune and Grigor Dimitrov had lasted more than three hours and continued late into the previous evening. The quarterfinal encounter was the second match set to take place on Friday on the center court in Monte Carlo.
Rune played doubles on Friday as well, and the Dane did not hold back while criticizing the scheduling and the umpiring call in reaction to an ATP post regarding Jannik Sinner.
“I mean what @atptour…,” Rune shot back. “It’s not like you gave me the finest circumstances to begin with—having to play two matches in one day and finish late, giving me essentially no time to recover.
“The Chair Umpire disrupted the game by making critical errors and issuing incorrect warnings.” I hope the power is with you.Christ Jesus.
Rune, who had previously expressed his open admiration for the Italian, had tweeted his congratulations to Sinner on his win and performance.
It caps off a turbulent week for Monte Carlo officials, who have already experienced two incidents involving Daniil Medvedev.
After receiving several contentious line calls in his opening round against Gael Monfils, the former US Open champion lost his cool and threw his racket onto the backboard in his subsequent encounter against Karen Khachanov.
Rune will return to action the following week in Munich, where he will be aiming to defend his title in the ATP 250 event, following his eventful week on the French Riviera.
