Highlights:
- Holger Rune defeated Novak Djokovic at the Paris Masters final.
- The Dane’s success may be attributed to his bold use of the Serve + 1 forehand strategy.
- A particular serve tactic that Holger Rune used resulted in his winning the point 16 out of 18 times.
The 19-year-old Rune, who was competing in his maiden Masters 1000 final, was defeated in the first set but rallied back to tie the game in the second set after falling by a break.
In the final match of the Rolex Paris Masters, which took place on Sunday, Rune prevailed against Djokovic by a score of 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Rune did this by commanding his service games by a Serve + 1 forehand strategy.
When Rune began a game with a serve and a forehand approach, he was victorious in 89% (16/18) of those points. In contrast, he only made it to the net eight times when he was behind a Serve +1 backhand strategy, and he only won three of those points (38%).
The tactic that proved successful for Rune was to steal time from Djokovic and retake control of the game as soon as it was able to do so. 8 times, Rune served and volleyed, and he was victorious 5 times. In contrast to Djokovic, who only made contact with the ball 33% of the time within the baseline, Rune did so 38 percent of the time.
Rune made the most of any chance that presented itself to push on the ball and force Djokovic to defend. Rune consistently positioned himself in an aggressive position at the point by hunting more forehands, resulting in a score of 165 to 147. A plan that moves from north to south is likely to be successful.
As a result of his triumph, Rune becomes the youngest player to win the Paris Open since Boris Becker in 1986. Additionally, the victory propels Rune into the top 10 of the ATP global rankings for the very first time.
?️?️ A Masters 1000 champion on the mic ⤵️ #RolexParisMasters I @holgerrune2003 pic.twitter.com/9H9eP56mxs
— ROLEX PARIS MASTERS (@RolexPMasters) November 6, 2022
Rune was also the player on the court who took advantage of opportunities when they arose. During the match, he had three opportunities to break, all of which he successfully converted. In sharp contrast, Djokovic was only able to take advantage of two of the twelve break points that he accumulated over the two hours and 33 minutes that the match lasted. He must have had the sensation of sand sliding through his fingers at that same moment.
Rune’s location on the court gave him an additional point of leverage, which ultimately led to his success in achieving an improbable win. To force as many mistakes as possible out of Djokovic, he was successful with 37% of the backhands he struck within the baseline.
In contrast, the Serbian player only established contact with 26% of his backhand shots inside the baseline. A step was taken by the Dane into the ball. A lot of the time, the Serb just sat back and let things happen to him.
Rune’s objective was to get the upper hand in the battle by advancing his position as often as feasible. Rune’s supremacy in the rally is further supported by his court movement, which is yet another piece of evidence.
During the course of the match, Rune travelled a total of 2739 meters, whereas Djokovic ran a distance that was substantially more at 2981 meters. An excessive amount of physical activity for the previous world number one.
