"He has improved a lot dealing with emotions; he's much more in control" - Patrick Mouratoglou on Holger Rune's incredible late-season form leading to Paris Masters title win
Holger Rune's coach Patrick Mouratoglou recently opened up about his pupil's impressive winning run in the final stretch of the 2022 season, which hit its highest point with him winning his maiden Masters 1000 title at the Paris Masters.
Of late, Rune, who is still only 19, has been focusing particularly on his mental game and recognizing the full range of his strengths, Mouratoglou highlighted. His run of peak form started at the Sofia Open in early October, where he reached the final. Thereafter, he reached three more finals in as many tournaments, winning two titles in the process, at the Stockholm Open and Paris Masters, respectively. He beat five top-10 players in Paris, including world no. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and 21-time Major champion Novak Djokovic (final).
Mouratoglou, who is also Simona Halep's coach, recently appeared on the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast and reflected on Holger Rune's winning streak. According to the Frenchman, Rune's clarity of game plan and his ability to handle mid-match emotions much better were the biggest contributors to his run of form that also saw him make his top-10 rankings debut after Paris.
"I see Paris as a consequence of what happened in the weeks before," Mouratoglou said, adding, "What did happen made a difference in Holger's game. I think the work lately has helped him be very clear on what his game was about, what his strengths were about, and focus on it during matches, and to be able to have a game plan very clear, that's the first. Secondly, he has improved a lot dealing with emotions during matches.
Elaborating on the point of emotional stability, Mouratoglou highlighted that Holger Rune struggled a lot with handling his emotions until not too long ago. But the Danish youngster recently accepted that he needs to be more in control to have an edge in crucial matches.
"It's a struggle for all the players, we all know tennis is super demanding in terms of dealing with all the emotions that you go through throughout the match. Holger is young and it has been something he has struggled with. I think lately he's much more in control of his emotions and when they go a bit too far, he's able to handle them better. That's why he's been able to achieve so much in these tournaments," Mouratoglou stated.
"Nothing that will replace matches" - Patrick Mouratoglou on why playing more and more matches is a priority for Holger Rune
Patrick Mouratoglou, who is also Serena Williams' former coach, threw light on the importance of match time in tennis. The French coach suggested that players can work on a lot during practice sessions, but playing matches teaches them about their respective game styles more than anything else.
That has been a focal point of his work with Holger Rune and Mouratoglou feels Rune's ability to improvise and improve during matches is what helped him get better the further he went in his season-ending run.
"Also, having a much clearer game plan and experience throughout the matches. There is nothing that will replace matches. I think the matches is a moment when you can do so much work, because if you prepare well for matches, during matches you can improve a lot of things. That is what he has been doing and that's why he was able to do so well in matches," Mouratoglou expressed.
Holger Rune used all the confidence gained from his results leading up to the Paris Masters, coming up clutch in his opening match in Paris against Stan Wawrinka when he had to save multiple match points. He beat five top-10 seeds in his next five matches to clinch his biggest title yet.