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Holger Rune admitted that he was left starstruck purely by Roger Federer \u201cmentioning [his] name\u201d. The world No 4 had to miss out on representing Team Europe at this weekend\u2019s Laver Cup due to injury. But the tournament co-founder Federer was still thinking about Rune in the Dane\u2019s absence as he hailed the next generation of tennis stars and said he \u201cmissed out\u201d on facing the 20-year-old.<\/p>\n
Rune was set for his Laver Cup debut but was forced to withdraw due to a back injury that has been bothering him for months. The Dane has become one of the sport\u2019s biggest young stars in the last year, stunning Novak Djokovic to win the Paris Masters last November before cracking the top 5 this season.<\/p>\n
But his breakthrough came shortly after Federer retired at last year\u2019s Laver Cup, meaning the pair never crossed paths on the tennis court. And Rune\u2019s admiration for the Swiss star became apparent as he admitted to being \u201cstarstruck\u201d after hearing Federer say his name in an interview.<\/p>\n
\u201cI admit it. I am a starstrucked,\u201d the four-time title winner wrote in response to the video, adding a starry-eyed emoji. \u201cI had to listen twice, (maybe 3-4 times), Roger mentioning my name #legend.\u201d<\/p>\n
Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive tennis news<\/strong><\/p>\n Just in <\/strong> McEnroe makes impassioned Laver Cup plea as he vents over ‘frustrating’ issue[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n It comes after Federer mentioned the 20-year-old when he was asked about the current state of men\u2019s tennis following his retirement. The former world No 1 praised Novak Djokovic’s recent historic achievement at the US Open – winning his 24th Grand Slam title – before turning his attention to the next generation.<\/p>\n \u201cYoung guys coming through as well,\u201d he told Eurosport. \u201cA generation that I didn\u2019t play at all actually. Rune, [Jannik] Sinner, [Carlos] Alcaraz, unfortunately I missed them, you know, playing against them. But I think the future looks bright.\u201d<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/72\/590x\/secondary\/4974044.jpg?r=1695422476613\")
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