“In the final against Novak”: Rune’s challenge against Djokovic for the “Happy Slam”

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Holger Rune (20) is not a child of sadness. Known for his talent, which already took him to number 4 in the ATP world rankings and allowed Novak Djokovic to celebrate his biggest tournament victory in the Paris-Bercy final in 2022. At the same time, the Dane is notorious for his temper, which makes him is a tennis bully to many.

One thing is clear: Rune does not shy away from bold statements. Like when he was upset at this year’s US Open because he had to play his first round match on a nearby court, which he promptly lost. Or when he is asked which tournament victory he would like to achieve in 2024.

Grand Slam title with the greatest possible challenge

“My choice would be the final of the Australian Open against Novak (Djokovic, editor’s note),” Rune answered exactly this question to the online portal Bola Amarela. Rune doesn’t choose Wimbledon because of its legendary prestige. He chooses the Grand Slam and the opponent who would pose the greatest possible challenge. The Serbian is a record winner in Melbourne with ten titles and has won each of his ten finals. Only Rafael Nadal (2009 & 2022), Roger Federer (2010, 2017, 2018) and Stan Wawrinka (2014) could break his dominance of the “Happy Slam”.

Rune’s ambition is no coincidence. There is the record that he has defeated Djokovic in two out of five matches. And his goal to improve on outdoor hard courts. “I have done very well on clay, grass and indoors, so now it is time to show my hard court tennis outdoors,” the 20-year-old says confidently about the season ahead.

Difficult 2023 – with Becker in the big attack?

After a good start to the season – in August he was number 4 in the world, now number 8 – Rune has had a complicated season. After his quarter-final exit at Wimbledon this summer, he suffered a bit of a creative crisis, suffering first-round defeats in six of seven tournament appearances on the ATP tour. Only in Basel, where he lost to the eventual winner in the semi-finals, did things start to improve again. Present at the tournament in Basel for the first time: his new coach Boris Becker.

He has a lot of confidence in his protégé for the future. At Eurosport, Becker indicated how much he trusted Rune in the future if he “put his horsepower on the road”. If Rune manages to consistently use “the power he shows in training and sometimes in matches,” he will “play faster than 98 percent of all players.” Then there is also a win against Djoker, who was undefeated in the Melbourne final. (dti)

Source : Blick