Babolat have issued a strong response to Wimbledon star Holger Rune selling broken tennis rackets on his online shop for $7,231 (£5,324).
Rune was seeded eighth in the men’s singes at this year’s Championships but shockingly crashed out in the first round to world No.143 Nicolas Jarry.
The 22-year-old Danish player recently listed two destroyed rackets on his official Shop Holger Rune website – but they have since been taken down.
Marion Cornu, who is the Tennis Business Leader at iconic racket brand Babolat, told CLAY and RG Media: ‘We are in talks with his agent.
‘Obviously, it is not our intention to promote broken rackets. We must be consistent with our values, so we are working on this issue with his representatives.’
Rune’s team claim Babolat have not made contact with the player’s agent -and that it was staff at Shop Holger Rune who chose to take the rackets down – due to ‘overwhelming media attention’, according to CLAY.
‘Rune’s smashed rackets are ultra-rare’
Before the items were removed, the Shop Holger Rune website read: ‘Holger Rune’s smashed rackets are ultra-rare collector’s items, used in official matches and only available in very limited numbers.
‘Why? Because Holger rarely lets frustration take over. But when he does, the moment – and the racket – tells a story.’
Rune explains his early Wimbledon exit
Rune looked in firm control in his first-round match against Jarry – winning the first two sets – before his opponent came roaring back to secure a 4-6 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 victory on Court 3.
The Dane blamed his early Wimbledon exit on a knee injury he picked up in the fourth set of Monday’s match.
‘I think I started all right in the match playing well,’ Rune said in his post-match press conference. ‘Then third set, a bit unlucky.
‘Fourth set I started to feel my knee and then got some treatment. Yeah, never was able to serve and hit my backhand as I was, you know, able to do in the first two sets.
‘I’ve had [the knee problem] before. I have not had it for a long time. I don’t know. I know what it is, and especially being extremely low on the grass, it can bother that area.
‘You know, obviously didn’t expect it to come back, but that can happen, yeah.
‘If I play normal, I’m beating him nine out of 10 times, with all respect for Nicolas Jarry.
‘Obviously today didn’t make it a lot easier with my knee, but yeah, it was not great.
‘I’m going to check now with the head doctor and physio and will take it from there.’
