Holger Rune also not a fan of the slow Indian Wells courts – ‘You had to play clay tennis mentally’

ATP Tour

Shahida Jacobs
March 17, 2023

Daniil Medvedev is not the only player who didn’t find the Indian Wells Open courts to his liking as Holger Rune has also admitted that he was unimpressed with the playing conditions.

Former US Open champion Medvedev has complained about the slowness of the courts at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden all week as he first vented his frustration during his win over Ilya Ivashka.

During an exchange with the chair umpire he said: “I’m gonna pee as slow as this court is. So you can take 25 minutes. The court is slow so I go slow, I take my time.”

He went a bit further during his victory against Alexander Zverev as he described the surface as a “freakin’ disgrace to the sport”.

“Should be banned from playing here. Freakin’ disgrace to the sport. This freakin’ court, man,” the fifth seed moaned.

“They call it hard court. What a shame to call this awful court a hard court.”

WATCH: Daniil Medvedev rolls ankle, calls court a disgrace, produces epic rant, beats Alexander Zverev

Seventh seed Rune, who was beaten in the third round by Stan Wawrinka, also lamented the playing surface in California.

“Extremely slow courts here and heavy balls, almost so that you had to play clay tennis mentally and completely different compared to Mexico, where they played with a much lighter ball,” he told TV2.

“I’m usually quite good at being able to switch, but right here it didn’t work so well. I never had bite in my shots and the serve went weirdly dead. Now I’m looking forward to playing in Miami, which is more reminiscent of Mexico.”

He added: “When I play matches, the technique typically lags a little, and the changing conditions with climate and court and different balls mean that I have to adapt to how high or low the ball bounces on the surface, and whether the ball is heavy in the evening and light in the evening the day.

“As such, I am used to it, but there has been a lot of difference in the conditions this year, I think.”

Rune also confirmed that he will be flying his physiotherapist to Miami as he has struggled physically after long trips.

“I will have a physiotherapist flown to Miami so that I can be treated properly before the start of the match, because both my lower back and shoulder need a round,” he said.

“It’s also some long flights for the body, so maybe it’s worth considering having a physiotherapist with you on the long trips. It’s only my second year on the tour, so I’m trying to figure out what works best for me.”

Holger Rune