Italy International on the 18th. [EPA Yonhap News]
Djokovic lost 1-2 (2-6 6-4 2-6) to Holger Rune of Denmark in the quarterfinals of the men’s singles tournament held in Rome, Italy on the 17th (local time). His second consecutive victory in the tournament and his challenge for the 7th championship in his career were also in vain.
Two days ago, second-ranked Alkaras suffered a shock defeat to 135th-ranked Fabian Marozan (Romania), who came up through the preliminary round, and turned around in the round of 32. Even Djokovic was eliminated on this day, increasing the possibility of a new face champion.
Rafael Nadal (Spain) holds the record for the most championships with a total of 10, but he could not participate in this tournament due to a prolonged injury. In the last 10 years, only four people have shared the championship in this event: Alexander Zverev, Andy Roddick (more than once), Nadal (three times), and Djokovic (four times).
Rune, one of the new faces, raised his name by beating Djokovic again six months after the Paris Masters final in November last year. Their opponent 메이저놀이터record was also 2 wins and 1 loss. Born in 2003 and 20 years old, he is 188cm tall and has a strong serve and aggressive return. His fast-footed defense also voided Djokovic’s final blows several times, leaving the 16-year-old ‘old man’ tired.
D Novak Djokovic shakes hands with Holger Rune, who won twice over him, and congratulates him. [AP Yonhap News]
When asked what advice he would give to Rune after the decision, Djokovic said, “I should ask Rune for some tips. He beat me twice. He is doing really well.” Rune competes with Casper Ruud (4th place, Norway) to advance to the finals.
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) also packed up. The birth of a ‘new face’ champion is imminent at the BNL Italy International, the 5th tournament of the Masters 1000 Series this season, where the world’s first and second place in the men’s professional tennis (ATP) were eliminated.