Andy Roddick shares blunt take on Rune's Davis Cup umpire controversy

Holger Rune ran into controversy during the Davis Cup match against Pedro Martinez, as he declined a handshake to the chair umpire after his defeat. Former ATP player Andy Roddick felt that Rune's response was justified, but the way the scene panned out was quite hilarious.

The incident took place during the fourth Davis Cup game, where Team Spain and Denmark faced off looking to seal a spot in the final eight of the competition.

Martinez registered a 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (3) win against Rune, after which they had a handshake. What stirred controversy was when Rune went near umpire Roberto Ranieri but declined a hand shake due to the latter missing two double-bounce calls during the game.

On the latest edition of The Served Podcast, Andy Roddick, along with the producer of the podcast, Mike Haydon, rewatched a clip from that incident and talked about how they felt about Rune's actions.

"For those who didn't see what I just saw, he extended the hand to the umpire and then gave him the old sike. He literally like got so close, that was funnier than if he had just snubbed. The umpire just ignored... Like whatever. We're all petulant, we're all little babies. I've done it. But the actual like the umpire reached and that, that was kind of funny," said Roddick. (16:34 onwards)

This was not the only controversial incident that took place during the match. Spain's skipper, David Ferrer, was furious over the umpire's decision to let Holger Rune receive treatment for his cramp during the game.

Big claims from Holger Rune

Ahead of Denmark's Davis Cup match, Holger Rune said that he can defeat Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in a match. Although he admitted that he lacks consistency, which, if he succeeds in maintaining, can give him the desired results.

During an Interaction with media outlet, Bolavip, Rune said:

“I feel like I’m lacking some consistency in my identity as a tennis player. Often, I go into matches with a relatively offensive mindset, while other times I come in with a grinder’s mindset. That’s the danger... I try to keep it as simple as possible. Of course, it’s inspiring to see Carlos and Jannik play at that level, but I also know that I can beat them.”

Spain and Denmark were tied 2-2 till the fourth match, but Pablo Carreno Busta took a great win against Elmer Moeller in the fifth match to get Spain a spot in the top 8 of Davis Cup over Holger Rune's team.