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“My purpose is to triumph arsenic galore expansive slams arsenic imaginable and beryllium No 1 successful nan world,” Holger Rune says pinch cool assurance connected a stinking basking time successful Cincinnati. “It’s very, very clear for maine and it’s ever been for illustration that since I was a child.”
The 22-year-old Dane is nan world No 11 and he has reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon and, connected 2 occasions, nan French Open. As nan US Open approaches, he has yet to make nan past 4 of a expansive slam but his bold ambition seems much actual erstwhile his awesome grounds against nan champion 2 players successful nan world is remembered. Rune has played Carlos Alcaraz 4 times, winning twice, including a 7-6, 6-2 triumph successful their astir caller encounter, 4 months agone successful nan last of nan Barcelona Open. He has besides beaten Jannik Sinner doubly successful their 5 matches against each other.
Rune was owed to look Sinner again successful nan semi-finals of nan Cincinnati Open but, past Thursday, he suffered a straight-sets conclusion against Térence Atmane. The French qualifier, whose ATP circuit grounds earlier Cincinnati featured conscionable 1 triumph successful 5 matches this year, described his tourney arsenic “pretty insane” because, earlier dispatching Rune, he besides knocked retired nan world No 4, Taylor Fritz.
But Rune’s adaptable results against lesser players continue. “My problem is not beating those guys,” he says of Alcaraz and Sinner. “My problem is being accordant successful going heavy successful each tourney to get a chance to play them much often because I consciousness for illustration that’s wherever I raise my level. It’s very clear that erstwhile Carlos and Jannik play each different they raise their level. You push each different for illustration crazy and this is simply a very breathtaking constituent of nan sport. So having a bully head-to-head against them, and besides successful nan opening against Novak Djokovic, erstwhile he was connected top, makes maine cognize I tin do it. It’s conscionable astir delivering it consistently.”
Rune, who is arsenic friends off-court arsenic he tin beryllium aggravated and combustible successful matches, says “there person been a fewer days wherever you’re like: ‘How is it going to beryllium possible?’ But I’m truthful driven to find a way. I’m ever thinking: ‘How tin I execute my goals? What tin I do better?’”
He explains that, pinch his coach Lars Christensen, “we are trying to activity really hard, but besides really smart, to amended and enactment really consistent. But that’s nan astir difficult portion and fundamentally only 2 players connected circuit correct now are very accordant – Carlos and Jannik. Everybody other is losing early successful tournaments present and there.”
Rune is easy to question and reply and unfastened to analysing his challenges – which he argues are chiefly mental. “It starts pinch nan brain, pinch knowing erstwhile you play good or, erstwhile you move nan match, why it happened truthful you tin do it again and it doesn’t conscionable hap by coincidence. I’m a bully tennis subordinate truthful of people I’m going to person bully weeks. But it’s astir trying to put them together – not conscionable a fewer times but week aft week.”
As portion of his caller strategy Rune met pinch Andre Agassi past month. Agassi is simply a awesome erstwhile world No 1 who won each of nan 4 expansive slam tournaments and 8 successful total. The 55-year-old American is an unconventional and heavy thinker whose love-hate narration pinch tennis could not dull his tactical acumen. It’s an intriguing move by Rune. He is moving again pinch Christensen, who coached him arsenic a inferior and astatine different stages of his elder career, but his 5 years connected circuit person been marked by changeless tinkering.
Rune has besides been coached by Patrick Mouratoglou, who worked successfully pinch Serena Williams, and Boris Becker, victor of six expansive slams arsenic a player. There is nary proposal that Agassi will go his coach and, instead, an informal narration seems to beryllium helping Rune. They worked together for 3 days successful Washington DC and, since then, Agassi and Rune person spoken aliases messaged each different earlier aliases aft his matches.
“It was my idea,” Rune confirms. “I reached retired to him aft nan French Open and thought it would beryllium really absorbing to perceive his constituent of position connected my game. We said connected nan telephone for a agelong clip and decided to do a mates of days together successful DC. He sees tennis successful a very unsocial measurement and had immoderate bully info connected my game. We had a agelong meal and nan measurement he explained things made it elemental for maine to spot what I tin do better.
“He’s specified a fable pinch a heavy knowing of tennis and really to win. So for him to stock that pinch maine was amazing. We’re still successful touch and speak aft my matches connected nan telephone and it helps to perceive his thoughts.”
Does Agassi judge that Rune is simply a early expansive slam winner? “Yes. He made that very clear. He knows each my goals and said they are very achievable. But it’s much important to make it hap than conscionable proceeding it. Belief is nan astir important word. I judge I tin do it and, I’m sure, successful clip I’ll make it.”
Alcaraz was calved six days aft Rune, successful May 2003, while Sinner is 2 years older astatine 24. The Spaniard has won 5 slams, the first nan 2022 US Open, and nan Italian has 4 to his name, starting pinch past year’s Australian Open. “Carlos is by acold nan 1 doing it nan fastest. When Jannik won his first slam he was my property now – 22. So I person a small much clip to effort and do nan same. He’s ever been an astonishing player. It’s not for illustration he conscionable did thing crazy each of a sudden. He was moving very consistently, very hard. And past awesome things hap because he has nan tennis and nan physicality. So he shows that it’s astir trusting nan process, believing, optimising and making it happen.”
Who is much difficult to hit – Sinner aliases Alcaraz? “I ever recovered it much comfortable playing Jannik because he’s giving much rhythm, playing much nan aforesaid shots. With Carlos there’s truthful overmuch variety. You springiness him 1 opportunity and he’s going to either driblet changeable you aliases punch you down nan statement aliases thing different. It’s unpredictable which makes it much difficult. But Jannik’s little level is higher because Carlos sometimes tin mis-hit immoderate balls. But past I deliberation Carlos’s apical crippled is simply a small spot higher than Jannik’s truthful they’re really equal.”
Rune is friends pinch some but peculiarly Alcaraz as, erstwhile they were 12, they became double partners successful a inferior tourney and reached nan semi-finals. “He’s ever been a bully guy,” Rune says, “and we’re bully friends now.”
His conclusion of Alcaraz successful Barcelona deepened Rune’s belief. “Obviously I had immoderate nerves but I was excited to play that match. The first group was a large battle. I had a fewer group points astatine 5-4 but I won a large tie-break and past I sewage much and much momentum and had a awesome 2nd set. Beating Carlos successful nan last was an astonishing feeling. The only annoying point was I wasn’t consistently doing capable successful nan adjacent tournament.”
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His mother, Aneke, has followed each twist and turn. She is often astatine his broadside off-court and almost ever successful his container during matches. She sometimes looks successful hopeless request of different cigarette, arsenic her desire to triumph seems to tally arsenic heavy arsenic her son’s. Rune smiles astatine that observation. “For sure. It’s been nan full task since I was six years aged erstwhile I told her: ‘I want to triumph expansive slams and beryllium No 1 successful nan world.’ She was like: ‘OK, I will effort to do everything for you truthful that’s possible.’”
Tennis remains an obscure athletics successful Denmark and he received small support from nan nationalist federation. “My mum luckily has her ain [water cooler] institution truthful this made it a small easier for her to return clip disconnected and travel. But tennis is very costly and connected nan little level you had to salary for your edifice and food. My mum and dada sacrificed their time, their money, their life for me. I consciousness for illustration I beryllium them everything.”
How has his mother helped him most? “With my mindset. She’s fundamentally nan personification that helped maine get nan slayer instinct. She’s very demanding but successful a bully measurement and very supportive and very loving. I deliberation this is what makes her a awesome genitor – not conscionable to beryllium bully each nan clip but besides to beryllium honest.”
Life connected circuit tin beryllium difficult and Rune says, almost casually, that he and different players person decease threats connected societal media “all nan time. After each lucifer you suffer that, connected paper, you should person won, it happens.”
The threats are made by “people betting connected nan matches and it’s conscionable not nice. People threatening you and your family and talking very nonstop things is really uncomfortable. It’s 1 point that’s really bad astir societal media … [and] it’s vulnerable successful immoderate ways.”
Having reached nan last astatine Indian Wells successful March, where he mislaid to Jack Draper, nan remainder of 2025 has been patchy. But who other has nan imaginable to situation nan Alcaraz-Sinner duopoly? “That’s a awesome question. I wouldn’t person thought overmuch astir that. I want to spot really Arthur Fils develops because he has a awesome forehand, awesome backhand, awesome physique.” The 21-year-old Frenchman has withdrawn from nan US Open pinch a accent fracture successful his back. “He has galore elements to his crippled and I’m funny to spot really he’s going to do but different I don’t cognize for nan moment.”
What astir Draper, nan world No 5 who reached nan US Open semi-finals past year? “He has a awesome crippled but I don’t want to opportunity like, oh, he tin aliases he cannot, because everything is possible. But it’s reliable because if you want to triumph a slam you mightiness person to hit some Jannik and Carlos and possibly Novak and he’s still playing good successful large tournaments. It’s tough.”
Rune’s first US Open match, successful 2021, was against Djokovic. But, moreover astatine 18, he did not look intimidated and won nan 2nd set. “Maybe I knew I could win,” he says pinch a grin. “Obviously I was crazy tense because it was my first clip successful a large stadium and past playing possibly nan top of each time. That was nerve-racking but truthful exciting. In nan first group I was shaking a small but aft I won nan 2nd I was believing straightaway: ‘OK, I tin hit this guy.’ But my physicality was not awesome backmost then. I started to cramp and each nan emotion and accent from qualifying didn’t help. But it was astonishing to get a consciousness of that level truthful early successful my career.”
He has suffered further first-round defeats successful his 2 astir caller US Open appearances. “I’ve not played very good nan past fewer years successful New York,” Rune admits arsenic attraction returns to his recurring expansive slam aspirations. “But it’s a tourney I ever wanted to triumph and I still want to win. I’m fresh to do a batch better.”
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