Rune will face a hostile atmosphere against Kecmanovic as the arena is full of Serbian immigrants

Holger Rune could find himself in a hostile atmosphere when he meets Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic in the third round of the Australian Open on Saturday morning.

The 21-year-old Dane looked to be in top form at the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, perhaps especially when he knocked out hard-working Italian Matteo Berrettini in the second round.

But against Kecmanovic, Holger Rune not only faces an opponent who makes a lot of mistakes in the forehand and backhand, but also enjoys enormous support from an audience that has many connections to the Balkan country.

Various reasons such as financial instability and war throughout history have paved the way for many former Yugoslav immigrants to emigrate to Australia in search of a better life.

Although migration has declined in the last decade, the Serbian community in Australia maintains its cultural ties through supporting various Serbian clubs, sports clubs, associations and attending Serbian Orthodox churches. In 2021, municipal figures found that around 100,000 Serbs now live in Australia, many of them in Melbourne, where the Australian Open is held.

With that in mind, it’s not hard to understand that Kecmanovic felt right at home at the Grand Slam tournament.

“I love being here, there are so many Serbs and they always come” the 24-year-old said after securing his place in the third round of the 2024 Australian Open on Thursday following a hard-fought win over Jan-Lennard Struff.

“You always feel like you’re at home.”

In his six main round matches at the Australian Open, Kecmanovic, who moved from Belgrade to Florida to the USA at the age of 13, has steadily expanded this affinity.

In 2022, he recorded his best Grand Slam performance when he defeated top-ranked opponents Lorenzo Sonego and Tommy Paul to reach the last 16 of the tournament.

Rune has already met Kecmanovic twice. Both games took place at the end of 2023, with both winning once on indoor hard courts.

Saturday’s game takes place at Margaret Court Arena and starts at around 11am CET.

The winner of the match can most likely look forward to a meeting with world number 1, Jannik Sinner, in the fourth round.