Rune Inspired by Djokovic in Final: "I Tried to Play the Same Way He Did"

Victorious in the Barcelona final against Alcaraz (7-6, 6-2), Rune claimed his first trophy of the season. The Dane avenged his lost final against Draper in Indian Wells and also secured his first title since Munich in 2023.

During the award ceremony, the 21-year-old player explained that he had drawn inspiration from Djokovic. The Serb had defeated the Spaniard in the Paris Olympics final last summer:

"I wondered what Djokovic did when he beat him in the Paris Olympics final. I played that game in my head. It was an extraordinary match, and I thought: let’s try to play the same way."

Competing in Madrid, Rune will aim to improve on his previous performance, where he fell in the round of 16 to Griekspoor (6-4, 4-6, 6-3).