Holger Rune failed to finish as the 2023 finalist was hit by illness which forced him to quit his opening match on Tuesday at the Monte Carlo Masters.

The Dane who lost a quarter-final here a year ago to Jannik Sinner was unable to go on against Nuno Borges, handing the Portuguese a 6-2, 3-0 (retired) win into the second round.

The entire misadventure took just 45 minutes, with the Dane packing it in with obvious disappointment.

Borges was making his main draw debut at the event, but competed at the seaside Country Club earlier this year.

“This is a very special place,” the 43rd-ranked winner said. “I came here in February for Davis Cup, but it did not have the magic back then.

“This is maybe the most beautiful place in tennis, when you play here you feel the magic.”

The second from his country to ever crack the ranking top 50 added: 

“I knew my opponent was not feeling at his best – but I’ll take a win however I can.

“I tried not to give him too much, stick to my game plan and play aggressive.”

Main photo:- Holger Rune winning Monte Carlo title in 2024 – by ISF Ltd

Winner of two Grand Slam singles titles and 17 doubles majors Fred Stolle has died aged 86.

He lost his first five Grand Slam finals but persevered to win the Men’s singles final at French Open in 1965 and the US Open in 1966 and made the final in six other Grand Slams including Wimbledon three times.

He also won 10 Grand Slam men’s doubles titles and seven mixed doubles.

Stolle was part of three winning Davis Cup teams (1964-66) with his finest achievement  being a come-from-behind five-setter over  Dennis Ralston  in Cleveland in 1964.

Stolle grew up in Hornsby on Sydney’s North Shore and his first introduction to the Davis Cup was as a ball boy at the 1951 tie between United States and Italy.

Although already showing considerable skills in Cricket and Rugby at that young age the experience made such an impression on him he decided to concentrate on  his tennis.

Stolle turned professional  in 1966 reaching  four Grand Slam singles quarter finals after tennis went ‘open’ in 1968 and played  well into the 1970s, playing  his last  singles match in Baltimore in November 1982, four years after his final Grand Slam singles match  at Wimbledon in 1978.

During his Davis Cup years Fred was nicknamed ‘Fiery’ in the tradition of ironic nicknames because of his slow start in the mornings and quiet play on practice courts.

The nickname belied his sense of humour and appetite for life, which made him a popular figure on the tour.

Stolle once wrote “for some the tennis court was like a boxing ring but for me  it was like being on stage”.

Stolle was part of an epic era of Australian stars playing alongside Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe and Rod Laver, all of whom dominated the Men’s Game late into the amateur era and start of the professional.

He then became coach to former world No.3 Vitas Gerulaitas  before turning his hand to broadcasting and became known to generations of tennis fans as worldwide  the voice of tennis, broadcasting for the Nine Network, CBS and Fox Sports

Although he lived most of his life in Florida, and later California Stolle always was fiercely proud of being an Australian.

“Rocket Rod” Laver, the only man to win all four majors in one year during the Open era, described Stolle as “too nice a guy to hold a grudge”.

“It took the best to beat the best,” he said on X.

“We never tired of reliving the past as we travelled the world looking into the future with an enduring love of the sport.”

Fred had spent his last few years living not far from Laver in “The Desert” California

Stolle, for several decades a good friend of this author and a regular contributor to Grandslam Tennis Online  is survived by wife Pat, son Sandon a former doubles world No.2 and major champion,  and daughters Monique and Nadine.

Novak Djokovic has made the expected pullout for weekend Davis Cup first–round play after failing to complete last week’s Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev.

The 24-time grand Slam winner will be unavailable for Serbia’s tie in Copenhagen against as a thigh muscle tear heals.

The Serbs will dream of not repeating last year’s debacle, where – without Djokovic onside – they were eliminated from the worldwide team competition at home by a loss to Slovakia.

Australian will be without spark plug Nick Kyrgios, by now a long-term injury victim and fading force in the game.

The 29-year-old made a return to the courts at the Australian after nearly two seasons out of action, but lost to Brit Jakob Faarenley in the opening round,

Australia travel to Stockholm to face Sweden.