Holger Rune says some things have changed since his last Masters final as the Dane claims he is handling things on a mental plan better now and also feels less stressed on the court.
On Saturday, the No. 12 seed beat Daniil Medvedev 7-5 6-4 to clinch his first win over the Russian and also make his first Indian Wells final.
For the 21-year-old, this will be his first final since losing to Grigor Dimitrov in the Brisbane final in the first week of 2024. Also, this will be his first Masters final in nearly two years.
After famously upsetting Novak Djokovic in the 2022 Paris Masters final, Rune lost to Andrey Rublev in the 2023 Monte Carlo Masters final and also fell short to Medvedev in the 2023 Rome Masters title match.
If the Danish tennis star beats Jack Draper in the Indian Wells final, that will be his first title since winning an ATP 250 tournament in Munich in 2023 April.
Rune: I see things more clearly and I’m less stressed
“I think the thing is that I’m more experienced mentally, I think. I’m stressing less than I was back then. You know, I think I see things a bit more clear now than I did back then,” the 21-year-old explained.
“Again, my level was also extremely high there. I mean, there is a reason why I made the final also. And I feel like I’m very clear in my mindset. I have to go for it. Also tomorrow, it’s not going to be handed to me. It’s a lot of work.”
It is not a secret that Rune struggled with his results and consistency between mid-2023 through the end of 2024. But now, he appears to be returning to being one of the best in the game and winning Indian Wells could potentially set up him nicely for some big results in the rest of 2025.
Tennis World USA