"I am starstruck" - Holger Rune reacts to Roger Federer naming him among next generation of tennis stars
Holger Rune was left amazed by Roger Federer naming him among the next generation of tennis stars, alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Federer, who is in Vancouver, Canada, for the sixth edition of the Laver Cup, shared his thoughts on the current landscape of both men's and women's tennis in a recent interview.
On the men's side, the 20-time Grand Slam champion conveyed his admiration for Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev's achievements during the 2023 season.
"On the men’s side, we have some great, great moments with Novak rewriting history, Alcaraz winning Wimbledon. I mean, I think, Medvedev played fantastic as well in New York," Federer told Eurosport.
Additionally, the former World No. 1 expressed his appreciation for the next generation of tennis stars, namely Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz. He also lamented that he never had the opportunity to compete against them.
"Young guys coming through as well. A generation that I didn’t play very – at all, actually. Rune, Sinner and Alcaraz, unfortunately I missed them, you know, playing against them," he said.
The 42-year-old voiced his optimism regarding the future of the sport, citing his enjoyment in watching the emerging generation's matches and tracking their results.
"I think the future looks bright. And of course, the game can always evolve, will always evolve. And the good thing is, I really enjoy watching and still following a lot of the results. I mean, I just like how it’s actually not in a lull," he added.
Holger Rune was left starstruck after coming across Federer's comments on social media. The Dane jokingly admitted that he had replayed the clip several times just to hear the 20-time Grand Slam champion mention his name.
"I admit it. I am a starstrucked 🤩 I had to listen twice, (maybe 3-4 times😂), Roger mentioning my name 🙌 #legend," Rune posted.
Roger Federer showers praise on Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek
Roger Federer also shared his thoughts on the current landscape of women's tennis. He expressed his admiration for Coco Gauff, who won her maiden Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open.
"The current tennis scene looks really good to me, I mean if I look over just quickly to what Coco Gauff did at the US Open, I thought that was highly special and unique. I've known her since five years now, she's incredible," he said.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion also noted that Aryna Sabalenka's rise to World No. 1 and Iga Swiatek's "incredible" run had effectively filled the void left by his own retirement and Rafael Nadal's impending farewell.
"When somebody retires like me or Rafael Nadal, then maybe things can be a little dull. Of course, our fans are still think that way, but overall actually stories are being re-written, with Sabalenka being No. 1, Swiatek who had an incredible run as well," he said.
Federer further showered praise on Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz and shared his positive outlook for the future of the sport.
"On the men's side, like I mentioned Novak and Alcaraz doing special things, so things are looking good to be quite honest," he added.