“I don’t know Holger personally, but I have seen on TV that sometimes there can be a lot of drama,” said Casper Ruud back in June 2022 following an on-court and off-court feud with Holger Rune in the French Open. Since then, the longtime rivals have hardly given each other warm vibes. However, it seems the bitter rivalry between the World No.6 and No.13 has now settled down ahead of the Red Bull Bassline, the much-awaited exhibition event in Melbourne, Australia. It’s set to kick off at the Rod Laver Arena on Tuesday night.

Ahead of his participation in the Red Bull Bassline exhibition event, Matteo Berrettini, who’s also playing in Melbourne, candidly asked Ruud on his equation with the Danish player.

Ahead of the match between Ruud and Rune, Matteo asked the World No.6, “It looks like you’re playing Holger.”

To this, Ruud responded saying, “We’re best friends now… we practiced this week so it should be fun”. But Matteo wanted to pull his legs.

On a hilarious note, he then said, “He just told me he hates you”

For the unversed, Ruud and Rune engaged in a heated war of words nearly three years ago. At the 2022 French Open, they met during the QF round. The Norwegian eventually managed to beat the Danish player in that hard-fought battle. The then World No.8 stormed into the semis, becoming the first Norwegian player to do so in a major. After the match, however, the crowd witnessed an intense exchange between them.

Ruud was seen giving a cold look to his opponent, along with a brusque handshake, when they approached the net. However, the action wasn’t limited to the court.

Later, Holger Rune claimed that Rudd confronted him in the locker room and shouted “YES!” in his face. The Norwegian’s father denied it. But the situation intensified further when Rune’s mother tried to mention that Ruud’s father wasn’t present in the locker room in the first place. And that he didn’t know what actually happened there. On social media, when Rune was asked why he didn’t give a warm reception to his winning opponent, he said, “Only hug friends, sorry.”

Ruud later denied Rune’s allegations and urged him to “grow up.” “He’s young and new, so that’s excusable, but when you’re on a big stage, it might be time to grow up a bit,” he said in an interaction with Norwegian daily VG, as reported by Fox Sports on June 2, 2022. But now, it looks like the rivalry has turned friendly. At least that’s what Casper Ruud has suggested in a new update.

The upcoming fight at the Red Bull Bassline isn’t the first time they will face each other at an exhibition event. Last year, too, Ruud and Rune had a match up during an all ‘Nordic Battle’ season.

When Casper Ruud and Holger Rune met during the ‘Nordic Battle’ in 2024

In December, the Norwegian and the Danish ATP pro played each other for a special exhibition match in Copenhagen. Rune initially shared a clip showing a cinematic teaser for their anticipated match. The two were dressed as Vikings aboard ships, fighting it out while challenging each other. “See you December 3 in Copenhagen.” wrote Rune while making fans excited about an epic showdown. So who among them emerged as the ultimate winner?

Well, it was none other than Rune who eventually beat his arch rival 6-4 6-2. In a super tie-brake, the Danish player won 10 points opposed to Ruud’s 6. He clinched the trophy in front of 17,000 spectators at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen. On a fun note, Rune even allowed the ballboys to play against Ruud for a brief period. In exhibition matches, you can always expect such scenarios.

With this match, Rune also took revenge on Casper Ruud. The latter beat him in the first encounter of the Nordic Battle 2024. On the previous occasion, at the Varner Arena in Asker, in Norway, Rudd won with a scoreline of 4-6, 6-4, 10-8. Now that they are set to clash again in the first month of a new season, fans should expect another cracker of a fight. Who do you think will emerge victorious in today’s exhibition encounter ahead of the Australian Open? Let us know in the comments below.