WATCH: Holger Rune’s Monte Carlo Masters 2025 hopes crushed as he retires in mid game against unseeded Nuno Borges

Tennis star Holger Rune has been battling expectations, himself, and now grave injuries for several months. The 21-year-old star player has marked his presence in the Monte Carlo Masters, where he headed to the prestigious tournament with a clear goal of making it to the final round to become one of the contenders to win the title.

However, this wasn't the case this time, as he bid farewell right at the first round of the ATP 1000 Masters against Nuno Borges, citing illness. Meanwhile, it is not clear if he sustained any injury or felt discomfort in the game, but he did retire as he did not want to risk the forthcoming schedule, considering the French Open 2025 is around the corner.

How have fans reacted to Holger Rune's exit?

The fans were extremely upset after Holger Rune retired from the game. The 21-year-old ATP star's performance met with harsh criticism from the fans. The crowd was also disappointed to see Rune battling with injuries for so long. The tennis fraternity has mocked him on social media and raised questions about his commitment.

Watch the video here:

Rune retires ill 🤒

Hope you recover quickly, Holger!#RolexMonteCarloMasters pic.twitter.com/ugZDCCO69G

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 8, 2025

Also WATCH: Ben Shelton’s Monte Carlo campaign begins with a blow as Davidovich Fokina sends him packing in first round

Meanwhile, the star player didn't have a great start to the game after Borges was seen completely dominating the game. Nuno Borges hits stunning passing and drop shots that allow him to take the lead. After that, he continued his stellar form and didn't allow Rune to win a single game before the Danish star retired in the second set due to illness in the game.

“I clearly saw that he wasn’t feeling great. I stayed really focused on my game and tried to not give him too much. I thought I did a good job with that,” said Borges, who is now 1-2 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Rune. 

Also WATCH: Francisco Cerundolo reveals his game plan to take down Carlos Alcaraz ahead of their 2nd Round of Monte-Carlo Masters clash