"I was not ready" - Holger Rune makes eye-opening remark about how breaking into top 5 made him feel undeserved
Holger Rune acknowledged that his rise to World No. 4 in 2023 was premature, considering his performance levels at the time. He credited the career-high ranking to the struggles of other higher-ranked players, rather than his own results. However, Rune now feels much more prepared both mentally and physically.
Rune won three titles in 2022 including the Paris Masters 1000 to break into the Top 10. In 2023, he reached two Masters 1000 finals and defended his title at the ATP 250 event in Munich to eventually earn the World No. 4 ranking in August.
However, since then, the Dane has faced a slump in form. He has suffered consecutive first-round exits at the US Open and did not reach a quarterfinal at any Major this year. Moreover, Rune suffered multiple early exits this year which culminated in him falling to World No. 14 in the latest rankings.
In an exclusive interview with Quindicizero, Rune admitted that he deserved Top 10 but not Top 5 last year.
"Honestly, I deserved to be in the top 7/top 8 because of the results I achieved between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023," Holger Rune said.
"But reaching the 4th place in the ranking was not a result of my work, it was a gift because of the results of the other players above me who did not defend the points from the previous year. At that moment I was not ready: my game was not top 4, as well as my mentality," he added.
"Now I feel like I have much more experience" - Holger Rune on his growth
Further, in the same interview, Holger Rune reflected on how gaining experience has been crucial for his growth. He highlighted that adapting to the top level in tennis requires time and that some players manage it faster than others.
"Now I feel like I have much more experience and this part is important, because you need to adapt in the right way to stay at that level. Some people do it faster than others, I feel comfortable in every aspect of the game now: this makes the mental aspect less demanding and generates energy to develop my game again. So now I feel good about all of this," Rune said.
During his Asian hardcourt swing in the past month, the 21-year-old Dane reached the semifinal of the Japan Open and the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters. Up next, he will participate in the Six Kings Slam exhibition event in Saudi Arabia.
He was recently seen practicing with Rafael Nadal ahead of the highly-anticipated event which also features Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Daniil Medvedev.