Holger Rune sat down and demanded to see the supervisor when he received back-to-back warnings at the Monte-Carlo Masters. The No. 7 seed was booed for getting a time violation and responded by making a talking gesture with his hand. He received another warning for unsportsmanlike conduct, prompting him to call for the supervisor.
Rune found himself in a tough spot during the second set of his Monte Carlo quarter-final against Jannik Sinner. After losing the first set 6-4, the Dane trailed 0-30 on his serve at 5-5 in the second when he received a time violation.
The spectators immediately started jeering and booing the 20-year-old in response and he was up for some confrontation, putting his fingers together to make a ‘blah-blah’ gesture. But his attempts at provoking the fans backfired as umpire Damien Dumusois gave him a code violation.
“He wants to give a bit back. Maybe to allow himself a bit more time,” Mikey Perera said on commentary. “So he has a warning for both time and unsportsmanlike conduct.”
Rune stormed towards the umpire’s chair to question his latest warning. “I didn’t say the bad words,” he argued. “It’s like to say be quiet so if I said to you be quiet, it’s a warning?” Last year’s finalist wasn’t happy with the official’s response, asking to see the supervisor for some clarification.
“Call the supervisor. I want to ask him the question of how could you give me a warning. Come now,” he added, sitting on his bench in protestation as Sinner waited at the baseline. Cedric Mourier took to the court, speaking to Dumusois before turning his attention to Rune.
“I didn’t say the bad word so I don’t understand why he gives me the warning. I understand why he gives me the time violation, I deserved that,” the 20-year-old told the supervisor. “But I don’t deserve an unsportsmanlike conduct and ‘have to pay a fine for not even being rude. Of course it’s telling them to be quiet but it’s not a bad word to say quiet.”
