Holger Rune's ex-coach Boris Becker makes his position clear about the Dane after Jim Courier's harsh Paris Masters criticism
Holger Rune’s ex-coach Boris Becker has shared his feelings about the Dane’s on-court difficulties. The German sided with fellow former World No. 1 Jim Courier, who lent criticism to Rune during his 2024 Paris Masters semifinal exit.
Rune began his Paris Masters campaign by expressing his desire to replicate his 2022 heroics. He staged an inspired run at the event, beating Matteo Arnaldi, Alexander Bublik, Arthur Cazaux, and Alex de Minaur to reach the final four. The former champion, however, fell short in the penultimate hurdle against eventual winner Alexander Zverev.
During Holger Rune’s 6-3, 7-6 (4) loss to the World No. 2, Jim Courier, who was commentating, indicated that he was confused by the Dane’s approach to the contest.
"I, for one, have no idea what he's trying to do out here. It's just all happening instinctively - it's like a full-blown jazz exploration out here. No rhyme, no rhythm," he said during his Tennis Channel appearance.
"There's a lot of great things happening, it's just all scattershot and that is not a recipe for long-term success," Courier added. "It's still a very immature game."
The four-time Grand Slam champion opined that Rune lacked “a sense of order.” The Dane hasn’t found much success on the court of late. He won his most recent title at the ATP 250 in Munich in April 2023.
"If he wants to be with the big boys consistently, he's gonna have to find something he can rely on rather than throwing paint against the wall and seeing what it looks like when it's all said and done. He just needs a sense of order - doesn't have it," Courier added.
Boris Becker, who coached Holger Rune between October 2023 and February 2024, supported Jim Courier’s remarks.
"Jim knows what he’s talking about!" he said, echoing the fellow former World No. 1.
Boris Becker helped Holger Rune with the mental aspect of his game during their brief stint
Holger Rune’s past year has been unstable in terms of not only his on-court results but also his coaching setup. Before hiring Boris Becker in October last year, the 21-year-old announced his separation from his two coaches, Lars Christensen and Patrick Mouratoglou.
After just three months together, though, Becker and Rune split up. The tennis player also ended his brief partnership with Roger Federer’s ex-coach, Severin Luthi. During his collaboration with the two experienced coaches, Rune reached one ATP final—at the 2024 Brisbane International.
He also credited Boris Becker for improving his mentality.
"I think he is bringing a lot of mentality and a few technical things. But more mentality like how you can handle the big moments better and how to save your energy in the matches, to do things mentally better," Rune said on the Advantage Connors podcast in 2023.
Just days after parting ways with Becker, the former World No. 4 reunited with Patrick Mouratoglou, but their brief collaboration didn’t yield any favorable results. In October 2024, Holger Rune announced that he had renewed his partnership with childhood coach Lars Christensen.
Following his Paris Masters exit, Rune would look to end his season with a successful campaign at the Moselle Open.