Youth forward! 19-year-old Rune is close to defending his title

It’s not just Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune has the year 2003 on his CV. The Dane who burst onto the ATP circuit last year like a whirlwind from the mountains!

It is without three days a year since the successful journey of the then newly 19-year-old Dane to his first ATP trophy began. Following the route of Lehecka, Zverev, Ruusuvuori and Otte, Rune reached the final of the Munich tournament without losing a set. He didn’t enjoy the tournament highlight as he should have, but he still won his first ATP title after scratching Van De Zandschulp.

He didn’t stay at number one, the semi-finals in Lyon and the quarter-finals at the French Open were followed by a summer lull, but the autumn was magnificent for the lanky Dane. Final defeats in Sofia and Basel were replaced by Rune’s triumphs in Stockholm and, most importantly, at the ATP Masters in Paris, where he also won the scalp of Novak Djokovic in the final.

The physical game of the native of Gentofte, Denmark is built around an excellent serve. Connoisseurs also see elements of Roger Federer’s game in his game, who is a role model for the Dane.

But his backhand is ambidextrous and even Novak Djokovic himself has complimented him, saying Rune’s backhand is even better than Alcaraz’s. This weekend he has a chance to win his fourth title in his 19th year. And the last one, because he will celebrate his 20th birthday on April 29.

The road to defending last year’s triumph

Holger Rune is still waiting for a serious test in his defence in Munich. He got through the German Hanfmann and the Chilean Garin (both from the wider area of the 100th place on the ranking) relatively smoothly. In those matches he scored about 80% of his points after his first serve, which is even better than his long-term standard.

In both Munich matches, the Dane lost his serve only once. He is also the clear favourite in Saturday’s duel with Christopher O’Connell.

A possible opponent for the final would be interesting in any case. It will come from the match between world No. 10 Taylor Fritz and Dutchman Van De Zandschulp. In the case of the latter, it would be a repeat of last year’s final, hopefully successfully completed this time.

Source: ATP