Raising his 2023 clay-court record to 15-3, Rune is not only streaking, he’s saving energy for a deep second-week run.
Rune has played only seven sets reaching the fourth round, thanks to a second-round walkover when Gael Monfils withdrew.
In an era of over-caffeinated competitors, the jittery Rune says sleep is the key to his endless energy on court.
Catching Zzzs is Rune’s concept of a dream day.
“I sleep a lot. I love to sleep. I probably sleep around, I don’t know, 9 to 13 hours if I can,” said Rune, who sometimes naps at tournament sites. “It’s a lot. I really like it. I think it’s the best recovery that you can have. You know, I actually think the muscle relax, everything relaxes when you sleep, so I try to, you know, every time I can sleep.
“Then when I’m awake I’m fully awake, yeah.”
World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev’s opening ouster leaves Rune, his frenemy and 2022 French Open finalist Casper Ruud, and ninth-seeded American Taylor Fritz as the only Top 10 seeds still standing in the bottom half of the draw.
Facing a dream draw, the ambitious Rune isn’t sleeping on major opportunity.
The Munich champion believes he can master a maiden major in Paris—if he plays to peak potential.
“Obviously I believe I can [win Roland Garros]. But again, I have to play my best tennis, be in my best state of mind to do it, and I have to take one match at a time,” Rune told the media in Paris. “Luckily I haven’t used too much unnecessary energy during the tournament so far. I still think I can play better, which is good. I’m in the fourth round and I can play better, so it’s a good thing. But obviously the matches are going to get harder and harder from now so I have to step up also.
“Yeah, and we’ll see. I mean, I believe, but also you cannot only believe; you have to make it happen. Yeah, time will show.”
Don’t sleep on Rune’s Roland Garros prospects.
The man who toppled Novak Djokovic en route to a Rome runner-up result will play either ninth-seeded American Fritz or 23rd-seeded Argentinean Francisco Cerundolo for a quarterfinal spot with the prospect of a Rune vs. Ruud quarterfinal rematch looming.
Photo credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Blog RSS…