Holger Rune on the support his mother Aneke offers him: "To have a person who you can trust 100% in your team is a key thing"
Holger Rune is eternally grateful for the support his mother Aneke has offered him over the years, stating that it is important for him to have someone he can "100% trust" in his team.
Appearing on the latest episode of the 'Advantage Connors' podcast alongside tennis legend Jimmy Connors, the World No. 8 lavished praise on his mother for allowing him to go about his childhood in the way he wanted, instead of telling him how he had to do things.
“I think to have a person who you can trust 100% in your team, which I can with my mom, is a key thing to have. My mum was really,really supportive because she was never like,‘Okay you have to do all the normal things, you have to do school, 8-3, and then you can play tennis one time a week’," Rune said.
“She was like,‘If you want to do something and you have a passion for it,do it but do it good.Do it your best and I will support you'.That’s what she has been doing,still doing.So,it is amazing to have this very very close connection," he added.
Rune has won four ATP singles titles so far, including a Masters 1000 title at the Paris Masters in 2022. He reached a career high ranking of No. 4, the best by a male player from Denmark in ATP history. His best Grand Slam performance is a quarterfinal appearance, doing so at the French Open in 2022 and 2023 and at Wimbledon in 2023.
Earlier this year, tennis fans were livid when Aneke announced that her son was splitting from coach Patrick Mouratoglou after his shock first-round exit at the US Open. Rune, however, has now landed the legendary Boris Becker as his full-time coach. The six-time Grand Slam champion, who coached Novak Djokovic to as many Majors, joined the Dane's team in Octover 2023.
“I am going to kick off with the French Open” - Holger Rune on his Grand Slam ambitions for 2024
Speaking in the podcast, Holger Rune also said that he would pick French Open as the Major where he would like to win his first Grand Slam title at. He fancied his chances on the red clay of Paris, given his past record and experience at Roland Garros.
“French Open. I am going to kick off with the French Open,” he said when asked about the Major he would like to win in 2024. “I won the French Open Junior (in 2019)."
"So, for me it is like a very special event to come back to every time. I always played great tennis there. For me it is a great place to be. I like the courts. I like the conditions. I like the environment,” Rune added.