"I hate the GOAT discussion" - Holger Rune on why Nadal, Federer and Djokovic are incredible in their own ways
Holger Rune has distanced himself from the GOAT debate between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. The Dane believes that the three players, along with Andy Murray, have set the bar extremely high for the new generation to work harder.
Speaking to Express Sport recently, the 19-year-old lauded the Big 4 for their contributions to the sport and for increasing the level of tennis over the last two decades. He also expressed his desire to surpass their records as he believes that it is doable.
“I think nothing about this, to be honest. I hate the GOAT discussion because who won the most titles, who won the most Grand Slams, who was No. 1 for the longest time. I mean, all these guys are incredible. They have achieved something that is history-making. It also pushes the younger generations to what’s possible," Holger Rune said.
“Records are there to be broken. And now these guys made us work even harder to break records. That’s good for the future of tennis. The level will increase even more. I think players like Federer, Novak, Nadal, and Murray showed us the extremely high level of tennis and that is what makes the younger generation so good today. I hope we can continue like that in tennis, raising the level even more. I think it is possible," he added.
Apart from Carlos Alcaraz, Rune was another teenager who created havoc on the tour this season. Starting as the World No. 103, he finished the year as the 11th-ranked player with titles in Munich, Stockholm, and most importantly, the Paris Masters. When Rune beat Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the finals in Bercy, he achieved a career-high ranking of No. 10 and became the first ATP player to register five top-10 wins in a single tournament.
"I took the best from the best guys" - Lars Christensen on Big 3's influence on preparing Holger Rune
Speaking on the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast, Holger Rune's coach Lars Christensen revealed how he groomed his pupil with the help of the qualities of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
Christensen stated that Rune used to watch a lot of internet clips of the Big 3 and hence, they tried to learn from Djokovic's footwork, Federer's serves, and Nadal's exploits on the clay court.
"When I started building Holger from the beginning, I always took the best from the best guys, watching Djokovic's footwork and his abilities to stay close to the baseline, the way he returns, watching Roger's offensive game, how he approaches the net, how he serves. I was watching a lot of Rafa, how he was on the clay court, his will to put in that extra shot and do angles and lot of spin and stuff like that. I tried to pick the best of everybody and tried to build Holger on these inputs."