Rune Loses to Djokovic but Wins Over Fickle New York Crowd

Rune Loses to Djokovic but Wins Over Fickle New York Crowd
Novak Djokovic of Serbia (R) after beating Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune of Denmark on day two of the 2021 U.S. Open tennis tournament at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York, on Aug. 31, 2021. Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters
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NEW YORK—Holger Rune lost his maiden Grand Slam match to Novak Djokovic on Tuesday but the brave Dane won over the fickle New York crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium by refusing to retire despite struggling with painful cramp.

Djokovic, a three-times U.S. Open champion and bidding to complete a rare calendar-year Grand Slam on the Flushing Meadows hardcourts, is a popular headliner on the New York stage.