"Judging by first impressions, Boris Becker has had a positive influence on Holger Rune" - Tennis journalist
Renowned tennis journalist Jose Morgado stated that tennis legend Boris Becker has positively impacted Holger Rune as the Dane's coach.
Rune, one of the sport's top young players, recently added the German to his team ahead of the season-ending ATP Finals. The 22-year-old ended the season with a 44-24 record, winning his lone title of the year in Munich.
In his last tournament of the season, the Dane endured a group-stage exit, losing two of his three matches. His only win came over Stefanos Tsitsipas, while his losses came against fourth-seed Jannik Sinner and eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
Becker has top-level coaching experience, helping Djokovic win multiple Grand Slam titles in the last decade. Morgado reckons the German has already had a positive effect on Rune, who was a set away from making the ATP Finals semifinals.
"I think Becker can make a big difference for him. Becker was a great champion and that makes him more qualified than Lars Christensen and Patrick Moratoglou. Moratoglou is obviously a big name in tennis training, but Becker is a former winner Grand Slam, both as a player and coach, so he knows a thing or two about tennis," he said.
He added that Becker will continue to have a positive impact on the youngster with regards to his body language and stress levels.
"It seems that Becker is very motivated because he went through a difficult period in his life, and it seems that he really missed tennis. And judging by his first impressions, it seems that he had a positive influence on Rune, because I think that Rune's body language he has improved, and I think that Becker will be able to advise him to relax and not stress so much in moments when he is struggling to get things done," he added.
Rune had a banner season in 2023, making back-to-back Grand Slam quarterfinals (Roland Garros, Wimbledon) and Masters 1000 finals at Monte-Carlo and Rome.
Roger Federer's former coach joins Holger Rune's team
Long-time Roger Federer coach Severin Luthi has joined Holger Rune's coaching team ahead of the 2024 season.
The 47-year-old is another high-profile addition for Rune, having just brought in Becker two months ago, as the Dane eyes a maiden Grand Slam title and sustained success next season. The Swiss Davis Cup captain coached Federer from 2007 till his retirement last year.
The Dane posted about Luthi's arrival on X (formerly Twitter), welcoming him to the team.
"Very happy to welcome Severin to my team alongside Boris," he wrote.
Holger Rune opens his 2024 campaign at the Brisbane International, which starts on December 31.