Holger Rune came from a set down to defeat Kei Nishikori at the Japan Open (Image: GETTY)
provoked the Japan Open crowd by holding his finger to his ear during his showdown with home favourite Kei Nishikori on Sunday. The Dane came from a set down to win the match and book his place in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Rune put his recent early exit at the China Open behind him by overcoming Alejandro Tabilo and Yoshihito Nishioka in his first two matches in Japan.
But he was second best during the opening exchanges against Nishikori and dropped the first set 6-3.
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During the encounter, Rune attempted to fire himself up and inspire himself to victory. But his finger to the ear gesture is unlikely to go down well with fans in Japan, which has previously been labelled as the .
After winning the second set 6-2, the 21-year-old also risked provoking the home crowd in the decider as he celebrated a smash winner at 2-2 by screaming out in delight at the top of his voice. He eventually won the final set 7-5 to secure victory.
Rune has been criticised for his behaviour on the court in the past, with John McEnroe taking aim at him last May after the star had removed a ball mark with his foot during his Madrid Open defeat to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina after his opponent had queried a line call.
Kei Nishikori was defeated by Holger Rune at the Japan Open (Image: GETTY)
Firing himself up ??????
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV)
The seven-time Grand Slam champion told the : “I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again, it’s hard to be a total a****** and be on the tennis tour, okay?
“He likes to ham it up, he likes to engage the crowd, but he does it in a way that kind of irritates his opponents at times. Certainly, he irritates the crowd. So what’s happening is, he’s developing a reputation.
“I think Rune will come around. The guy is a tremendous talent, brings a ton of energy to the court. I think he’s capable of winning majors. He still to me is a little bit up and down in the course of matches, but we’ve seen him play great and big matches.”
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Rune was in the headlines once again in August after following his shock first round US Open defeat against unseeded American Brandon Nakashima.
“Sometimes the bumps on the road are painful and frustrating,” he wrote on X (formally known as Twitter). “I am not satisfied with my results, but still I have to remember I am 21, I am top 15 in the world, the highest ranked male ever in my country.
“So when media, ‘experts’ and randoms call me s**t, I take it as a bizarre compliment. They are expecting more from me, and faster.”