• A year after having badly taken the spat with Casper Ruud, the Dane Holger Rune finds the Norwegian this Wednesday on the Central, in night session.
  • At the age of 20, Rune already enjoys a reputation as a teigneux on the ATP Tour.
  • However, those who know him ensure that the boy is above all a passionate, hard worker, sure of his strength and whose ambitions are immense.

At Roland-Garros,

"I know I don't please everyone... But when I see who I don't like, I wonder if it really bothers me. Purists will undoubtedly have recognized the mythical quote from "JC" in Dikkenek, a masterpiece of Belgian comedy, tailor-made for the animal we are going to focus on today, the young and boiling Danish Holger Rune. From the top of his 20 years, the kid, who faces Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals Wednesday night on the Central, has managed to carve out a reputation of small moth on the circuit, so much so that it is difficult today to find a press article about him not talking about it. Picking to the extreme at each refereeing decision against him, encouraging himself furiously after each point, hyper communicative with his clan in the stands and endowed with immense confidence in him, so many attitudes that are not to everyone's taste in the very polite modern tennis.



For there to be a reputation, good or bad, you need a facilitator who spreads it. In Rune's case, it was veteran Stan Wawrinka who stuck to it. It was at Bercy, at the end of last year, on a court n ° 1 became Bombonera the time of this quarrel of the old against the modern. In an entire arena devoted to the cause of the Swiss, the Dane does not let himself be dismantled and causes the annoyance of Stan The Man, beaten in three epic sets (4-6, 7-5, 7-6 [3]). "Stop behaving like a baby," he will tell her as he shakes hands more-icy-you-freeze-in-Siberia. At the time, Rune does not understand what Wawrinka accuses him of. It is true that the reaction of the former winner of Roland 2015 was a disproportionate chouïa.

A dirty reputation, really?

Present in the gallery that day, Roune's agent remains perplexed. "I can swear he didn't say a word on the field, Stan's reaction was not at all appropriate in my opinion," rewinds Philippe Weiss. I think he was a little upset that he lost after having match balls. Yes, there are matches where Holger behaves less well than others, but there he said nothing. It wasn't the right match to make him think about that. A few months later in Indian Wells, Wawrinka will have his revenge and put (a little) water in his wine, speaking of a "very great champion with enormous potential" but who is making "a reputation in the locker room that he will regret one day. "

Even if there are necessarily people with whom you have less affinity, overall he is someone appreciated on the circuit, corrects his agent. Players train together all year round, and you're bound to avoid hitting balls with guys who don't like you, but Holger has no problem finding players to hit with. He is a charming boy off the field, he is kind, well behaved, assures his agent. And once on the field, it's true, it's sometimes a little hot. But I don't find it wrong personally. We need to have players who express something, guys who have character, who offer things to the public. We are in a sport that swears by exemplarity, the smooth, controlled, without rough edges, and I think people don't want that anymore. On Monday (in the eighth final against Cerundolo) there were a lot of emotions, something happened and that's what we want to see, that's the tennis we love. »

Interviewed at the beginning of the fortnight, Fabrice Santoro validates the character and points out the inconsistencies of the point of view of the fans. "Some say tennis has become too smooth because of the code of conduct, but on the other hand the same people will complain about Rune's behavior. We would have to know at some point, "blows the consultant Prime Video.

Words and deeds

Beyond his volcanic character on the court, Holger Rune also exudes great confidence in himself and does not hesitate to openly display his ambitions. Compared to a clearly less exuberant Alcaraz, again following in the footsteps of his elder Rafael Nadal, Rune knows he is good and does not hesitate to say it out loud. An American attitude that detonates in the environment. "He's obsessed with his performance on court, he has very, very high goals – winning grand slams and being No. 1 in the world – and they display them, but it's not arrogance," Weiss said. Arrogance is someone who announces things but behind it is not going to go to coal to implement it. He, he goes, he is a perfectionist, he is one of the biggest workers on the circuit, he puts his speeches into action, in line with what he announces. And that's proof of humility, not arrogance. »

Fabrice Santoro agrees: "I like players who display their ambitions as long as the whole is coherent. A player who says "I want to win Roland-Garros" and who in the evening goes to a club to stuff his mouth, no, it does not make sense. On the other hand, a guy who displays his ambitions and who behind him works six hours a day, who thinks tennis 24 hours a day, who pays attention to his physique, to what he eats, In his sleep, I like it, I have a lot of respect for these players. »


🗣️ Confidences at Roland-Garros
Holger Roune
: "I try to sleep between 9 and 13 hours a day. This is the best way to recover your muscles and mind. Sometimes I have very sweet dreams where I am with the trophy, but I wake up. Oh, I'm just in my bed." pic.twitter.com/YLyXA3F1OI

— Benoit Maylin (@BenoitMaylin) June 3, 2023

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"He doesn't cheat"

According to Marion Bartoli, who rubbed shoulders with him last December when the Dane was preparing his season in Dubai, where she lives year-round, Rune is well in this category. "It was raining that day and Patrick Mouratoglou (his coach) asked me if I knew of an indoor court where he could train. I recommended one and we took the opportunity to go see him with the two children I coach year-round in Dubai. We watched his practice match against Popyrin and it was crazy to see how much he puts the same intensity as in the match. He was angry the same way when he missed a point, he changed his shirt four times because he sweated. He doesn't actually cheat," says the former French player.

If some would like to see him change his behavior, this is not the case of Philippe Weiss or Patrick Mouratoglou. "He always has his hot personality, it's never going to be a big calm on the pitch, but it's something you have to cultivate rather than restrain in my opinion. I don't want it to be distorted. After, for my part, I try to make sure that his image is the best possible. I'm here to develop business, the image it will release will have an impact on my negotiations with brands, sponsors, so I do not take this subject lightly. But I sincerely believe that people and brands are also asking for this kind of personality. And I have the impression that he is finding a very good compromise between his passion and the necessary calm that these major Grand Slam meetings require. On Wednesday, on the occasion of his reunion with Casper Ruud, with whom he had a spat here last year in the quarterfinals, Rune should be at ease in the special atmosphere of the night session.

  • Roland-Garros 2023
  • Tennis
  • Sport
  • Holger Rune
  • Ile