Holger Rune reached the semi-finals of the Rolex Paris Masters, confirming his good feeling with this tournament. The 2022 champion – when he made a memorable run defeating Novak Djokovic in the final – was defeated by Alexander Zverev yesterday but still showed good tennis this week.
Despite the good result achieved in the last Masters 1000 of the season, the former Top 5 certainly cannot be proud of his 2024. The young Dane’s growth path has been abruptly interrupted and his gap with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz – the two prominent members of Next Gen – has widened considerably compared to a year and a half ago.
Holger Rune, Paris Masters 2024© Stream screenshot
Rune has lost confidence and confidence on the tennis court, making many wrong choices and changing a large number of coaches in the last year. The feeling is that Holger will have to work a lot from the mental point of view to regain the stability that would allow him to express his best tennis again.
Rune is still very young and has plenty of time to become a champion, but 2025 will be decisive to understand whether he is back on the right track or if his involution process is unstoppable. Fans all over the world hope that the Danish will shine again and represent the third wheel in the fight between Sinner and Alcaraz.
Rune has to work hard
The 2022 Paris-Bercy champion offered a good tennis in the last Masters 1000 of the season, even though he was defeated quite clearly by Zverev in the semi-final. The young Dane had a proud reaction in the last part of the second set as he dragged the German into the tiebreak, where Sascha’s experience made the difference.
In a recent interview, former ATP ace Jim Courier opened up on Rune’s attitude on court: “For my part, I have no idea what he is trying to do here. It’s all instinctive – like a full jazz exploration. No rhyme, no rhythm. There are many good things going on, but everything is scattered and it’s not a recipe for long-term success. It is still a very immature game. If he wants to be one of the top players, he’s going to have to find something to lean on, rather than throwing paint against the wall and seeing what happens when it’s all over. He just needs a sense of order – he doesn’t have it.”
Holger Rune© @TheTennisLetter X account
At this moment, the Danish ace seems far from being able to win a Grand Slam title. Although he has a remarkable talent, Holger is still too discontinuous to really be able to undermine two young champions like Sinner and Alcaraz. The Italian ace has a really impressive consistency and is able to play well throughout the season, while the 21-year-old Spaniard reaches peaks that make him almost unbeatable.
A remarkable potential
Speaking with Eurosport France, Nicolas Mahut reflected on Rune’s current status: “Rune won’t be satisfied until he wins a Grand Slam. I think he’s completely consumed by it. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day he manages to win one. Obviously he’s not as strong as Sinner and Alcaraz, but there will be more room than during the golden generation with Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray. There will be opportunities and I think he’ll be one of those players who can seize one.”
Despite not winning a Major title yet, Rune was one of the stars at the ‘Six Kings Slam’ in Saudi Arabia a few weeks ago. Holger was the only participant who has never won a Grand Slam title, but the event organizers are very confident in its future potential. The Dane played only one match in Saudi Arabia, losing to Carlitos Alcaraz.
Holger Rune, Six Kings Slam 2024© Stream screenshot
During that event, he talked about Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal’s legacy: “Do I get inspiration from other players or do I just focus on myself? A bit of both. I think inspiration is important, but I always try to be a beast, whether it’s in training, in preparation or in a match, I always want to push myself.
You get inspiration from players like Djokovic or Rafa Nadal. I remember training with Rafa in Riyadh and it’s surprising: this guy is almost retired and he trains with such intensity that you think: ‘You shouldn’t retire’. He’s had an incredible career and he’s achieved so much, it’s not for nothing that Rafa and Novak both give their all in every training session. I only played one match, against Carlos, but to be able to train with the boys all week and spend time with them off the court – I already know them, but it brought us closer, we had a lot of activities together, it was really fun.”