Aneke Rune claimed that her son Holger battled illness in Rotterdam and that was a big reason why he picked up a surprise round-of-16 defeat.
On Tuesday, the No. 5 seed kicked off his campaign at the Dutch ATP 500 event with a notable straight-set win over Lorenzo Sonego.
But when he returned to the court two days later for his round-of-16 match, the Dane delivered a pretty poor performance as 44th-ranked Pedro Martinez registered a 6-4 6-1 win.
Following Rune’s exit, his mother said that he caught a fever during last week’s Davis Cup tie against Serbia and arrived in Rotterdam feeling ill.
“He had a good bout of flu in Denmark after the Davis Cup, so he wasn’t feeling optimally in the match against Sonego either,” Aneke told tv2.dk.
“He had a high fever and was seen by a doctor, after which he stayed in bed all day.”
Will Rune play in Buenos Aires?
Next week, the former world No. 4 is signed up to play on the clay courts of Buenos Aires.
But considering how his Rotterdam campaign went, the 21-year-old may decide to skip the event and rest.
“We do not yet know whether participation in Buenos Aires next week is in danger,” Aneke said.
Meanwhile, Rune also confirmed through his social media that he battled illness during his Rotterdam match against Martinez.
“Tough night. Did my best but couldn’t fight my fever down. Hope to be fresh soon. Thank you Holland for your support,” the world No. 14 wrote on X.
Tough night. Did my best but couldn’t fight my fever down. Hope to be fresh soon. Thank you Holland for your support 🙏🏼 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/sUePQ6RAiw
— Holger Rune (@holgerrune2003) February 6, 2025
Before Rotterdam, the Dane exited Brisbane in the first round and made the Australian Open round-of-16.
If Rune goes to Buenos Aires, that will be his third appearance at the tournament.
Tennis World USA