"He can fight like Rafael Nadal when he wants something" - Mother Aneke on Holger Rune's will-power, his transition to the pros, & more
A tennis player traveling the international circuit with his mother is not a common sight, but it's not unheard of either. Judy Murray has been a regular presence in the stands for her sons' - Andy and Jamie Murray's - matches through most of their careers. Back in the day, Gloria Connors was the main coach and central figure in the life of tennis legend Jimmy Connors.
Much in the same vein, Aneke Rune has been a constant presence so far in the career of 18-year-old prodigy Holger Rune. Rune, the 2020 French Open boys singles champion and year-end junior World No. 1, has just started making his presence felt on the pro tour, and his mother has been an integral part of that transition.
Aneke, however, is not too involved with Holger's coaching duties. Instead, she focuses her energy on an equally important role - that of being a supportive mother and guide, helping her son navigate the tough road of professional tennis.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Aneke Rune recently opened up about Holger's love affair with tennis, his determination and drive to be perfect, and his family background. Aneke also talked about her dreams for her son, and how she tries to help him achieve his dreams.
Below are excerpts from the interaction:
Exclusive interview with Aneke Rune
Sportskeeda: What is your earliest memory of Holger showing a liking for tennis?
Aneke Rune: Holger used to come along to the courts with his sister Alma, who played tennis. And he really enjoyed watching her matches on the weekends.
While most younger siblings get bored, Holger took a chair, placed it right in front of the court, and watched the match from start to finish. When Alma's match was over, he would find another interesting match to watch, moving his chair to that court.
Holger is four years younger than Alma, who was around nine back then. He was not allowed to start at the local club before he was six, so he played football instead. But as soon as he turned six, he started tennis.
All the young kids started with foam balls and mini-tennis nets back then, before gradually moving up to the orange ball and mini-nets on the smaller courts. That's a great way to learn tennis because the small courts make you approach the net and try to serve-and-volley. This would not have been possible had he played on a full-sized court.
Holger was a huge fan of Roger Federer back then. He loved imitating various players, which was possible on the small courts.
SK: Was there any one specific moment when you first realized that your son had the right talent for the sport, and that he could compete at the professional level?
Aneke Rune: Holger has always been very dedicated when he has wanted to learn something - whether it was skateboarding, a specific subject in school or anything else. In that respect, it was no surprise that he went all in on tennis; that was just his character.
What was different about tennis compared to other things was that in tennis you never finish. You never find the perfect stroke, because so many conditions change - the surface, weather, opponent, balls etc. So it's not like you can hit the ball perfectly every time, and Holger has this perfectionist gene so he keeps trying to improve.
Tennis was the perfect sport for Holger in that regard, because you never become good enough. He was completely hooked.
Looking back, he just got better and better in his search for the perfect strokes. He has won several national and international junior tournaments; Holger has 157 trophies in his room right now. From what I know of my son, he will continue until he has all the trophies that he dreams the most about. That’s just how he is.
I don’t believe in talent or being gifted. What I see is a very dedicated young man who has a huge passion for his sport and a strong will to achieve what he wants. I see his character as his best weapon. And yes, he has a very healthy body.
Holger has a good frame to become whatever he wants to, whether it's a tennis player, doctor, or anything else he chooses. He wants to be World No. 1, and I believe he can.
SK: What is the biggest strength of Holger's game, according to you? Also, what do you think is his biggest area of improvement?
Aneke Rune: His will-power is exceptional. When he wants something, he goes 100% after it. He can fight like Rafa (Nadal) when he wants something. (But) He's still young and needs to improve in all areas.
SK: Some tennis parents have been known to be very pushy or demanding from their kids. The sport has seen some high-profile cases of teenagers burning out or not fulfilling their potential due to the high expectations placed on them. How do you manage to ensure that you and Holger do not fall into that trap?
Aneke Rune: My role is the opposite. Holger is such a perfectionist, so it's me who has to say 'I think its good enough now' or 'Relax, you do great', etc. He has very high expectations of himself.
At the same time, he derives a lot of joy from his sport; getting better makes him happy. There are very few practices where he doesn’t smile. He enjoys what he does, and it's hard not to support him and find whatever finances are needed in order for him to continue with what he loves.
In general, I don’t care what my children do for a living as long as they are happy with themselves and their lives. Whatever they decide to do, they should try to do their best.
I'm not the kind of mother that says they can become whatever they want without doing anything, or who tells them they can be the best without putting in something exceptional. So in that matter I am very honest.
In society today, it seems like you can become a rock star or a millionaire in a week. That's not something I believe in, and that's not how I raised my children. (But) If they believe and dream and put in lots of hard work, I'm sure they will be successful in whatever they dream about.
My job as a parent is to support my children in their dreams; to love them, to listen, to talk to them and to give advice the best I can. (But) The fire must come from inside themselves.
SK: You have spoken earlier about being a dancer in the Royal Danish Ballet. When you look at Holger pursuing his tennis career, do you wish you had the same kind of support to pursue your passion when you were younger?
Aneke Rune: Yes, for sure. My father died of cancer when I was 10, and my mother had a very difficult time being alone with three kids at a young age. She wasn’t able to support us emotionally because her life collapsed after my father died. She passed away too.
So for me it's maybe extra important that my children feel loved and listened to. And yes, I want to help them in pursuing their dreams no matter what it takes.
That’s the beauty of becoming a parent. You can change all the stuff you didn’t like in your own childhood. I tell my children the same thing. Maybe I am not perfect, but then they will be able to do this better whenever they become parents.
Also read - "Pressure doesn't go away just because you don't talk about it" - Holger Rune on why he is vocal about his dreams, why he switched from Nadal posters to Federer posters, and more
SK: It must be difficult from a family perspective for you to accompany Holger on the road, with your husband and daughter not being able to travel all the time. How do you all ensure that you all remain connected as a family?
Aneke Rune: Ours is not a traditional family life; we kind of never had that in the first place. But we enjoy the time we are together. We meet up abroad or at home and enjoy four days here and there all together.
All of us can have big egos, so I think we give each other a lot of space like this. Anyways, what's right today? 50% of all married people end up getting divorced, so maybe it's not so bad doing things differently after all.
Alma and Holger have a fantastic relationship. She sometimes comes along at tournaments. That means a lot to me since I too have a great relationship with my sister and brother.
SK: How difficult is it managing the financial part so that Holger can travel around the world and have access to the best teams and facilities?
Aneke Rune: We have been lucky that Holger, from an early age, was among the best in the world among his peers. That opened some doors in regards to very good facilities for practice.
Holger is part of a handful of kids that can come and practice at Mouratoglou Tennis under their Champseed Foundation. Being a top junior gives access to Grade 1 and A tournaments, where you have full hospitality. That means hotels and food are paid for at tournaments; it is only flight tickets that we have to buy.
That said, tennis costs money because you change levels (juniors to pros) and start from the bottom every time. You have no junior points transferred to the pros, so you start without any ranking at all. You have to pay for hotels, food and all the travel costs at the lower ITF events.
Holger turned pro in 2020. He has worked his way up from no ranking to now being ranked on the threshold of the top 200 (currently Holger Rune is ranked a career-high No. 204). This is really good work, and it leads to bringing in sponsors.
I myself am working full-time. Since I have my own company I can plan my time, but that doesn’t mean less work; it just means I can work all hours (night) and spend the daytime at tournaments.
In the beginning all this was very stressful, but I kind of found a way of being able to do both. I am lucky that my daughter can also help out in my company. We kind of help each other in the family.
SK: Holger has made rapid strides on the ATP Tour this year, improving his ranking from No. 474 to No. 204. He has also said that he wants to break into the top 100 this year. Do you think that is a realistic goal, especially given the frozen ranking system currently in place?
Aneke Rune: I think they keep extending the frozen ranking all the time. It's kind of a never-ending story with these extensions. You still have points earned in 2019!
They have now finally dropped the junior points from 2019 by 100%. That means Holger is no longer ranked No. 1 in the juniors. However, the senior points are still frozen. Does that make sense?
It's not easy for young players with ambitions to move ahead in the rankings. But I respect Holger's goals and I support him. And yes, it is possible. Everything is possible!
It's just twice as hard with the frozen ranking, but then again Holger will be even stronger and better.
Looking from a business perspective, protections are rarely good for so long. It kind of makes the protected sleepy and the unprotected even more hungry, and Holger is hungry.
SK: One of the other very promising young players, Carlos Alcaraz, is ranked in the top 100 and has been playing the Grand Slams this year. Does Holger take inspiration from someone like Alcaraz? When do you see Holger making it to the main draws of the Grand Slams?
Aneke Rune: Carlos is a very good boy. Holger and Carlos have known each other from their under-12 days in Europe.
Carlos started earlier in the pros, so he will naturally be a year or 18 months ahead of Holger. There are American, Italian, Serbian, Japanese players with a high level of tennis, but they are just not so far in the seniors yet.
Coming back to your question, I am sure that Holger will play the main draw in all Grand Slam events next.
SK: Holger has been training at the Mouratoglou Academy, where several top players such as Serena WIlliams, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Coco Gauff also train. What's the environment like at the Mouratoglou Academy, and how has it impacted Holger's game?
Aneke Rune: Coming from a small tennis nation such as Denmark, I think it's very important to have the ability to improve yourself and also see the best players. To see where you are compared to them, and get inspiration from the way they practice.
Holger has practiced with many fantastic players, and every single time he gets inspired. (Alexander) Zverev is a very dedicated player as well, (Daniil) Medvedev and (Novak) Djokovic were huge inspirations for Holger.
I think it's important to learn through the wiser and more experienced players. At the theater where I was dancing as a child, we practiced in the same place as the adults; being in the right environment means a lot. So naturally, Holger is very happy that he has this relationship with (Patrick) Mouratoglou and can come there.
SK: Holger recently signed with Tennium. How do you feel that would help him in his career going forward?
Aneke Rune: Tennium is not a traditional agency. They also own tournaments, so they are involved with tennis in many areas. They have a very sharp business strategy and I think it matches Holgers' image very well.
SK: Finally, what is your biggest wish for Holger for his tennis career, and for his life off the courts?
Aneke Rune: I want him to be happy. Once in a while he looks at me and says – "Mom, I love my life, I really do". This makes me happy. And for sure like every parent, I hope my children will make their dreams come true.