"My goal is not to be better than Carlos but to be the best that I can be" - Holger Rune on whether Carlos Alcaraz motivates him
Apart from World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, the other 19-year-old who created havoc on the tour this season was Holger Rune.
Interestingly, both players have known each other for years and have even teamed up to play doubles in the early days. The duo has come face-to-face twice on the tour, both winning one match each. Serving as the first alternate in the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals, Rune is currently in Turin along with the rest of the top players.
Alcaraz withdrew from the tournament due to an abdominal injury but flew to the city a couple of days ago as soon as he was confirmed to end the year as the World No. 1.
During a media interaction yesterday, Rune was asked about Alcaraz and if it motivated him to see the Spaniard at the top of the mountain. The Danish star heaped praise on the 2022 US Open winner but stated that instead of competing, his focus was on getting better.
"My goal is not to be better than Carlos but to be the best that I can be," Holger Rune said. "I have to focus on myself. What Alcaraz has achieved is incredible and he deserves to be where he is. I must make my way. He is a friend and a rival at the same time. I saw him yesterday and congratulated him for finishing as number one. We have known each other since we were 11 years old and we have a good connection. We played a lot against each other in juniors. He beat me and so did I, but always in very close matches."
Three singles titles and numerous match wins against top players this season have already resulted in Rune's entry into the ATP top 10. Starting the year as World No. 103, the prodigy from Denmark produced a number of upsets to establish himself on the tour and become the 10th-ranked player recently.
Before taking down Novak Djokovic in the final of the Paris Masters, the 19-year-old won two ATP 250 titles — the Bavarian International Tennis Championships in Munich, and the Stockholm Open.
"I would feel privileged to be part of this group" - Holger Rune on forming Big 4 with Alcaraz, Sinner, and Auger-Aliassime
Speaking to the media on Thursday in Turin, Holger Rune revealed that his objective at the beginning of the season was to finish the year in the top 25. He was asked if he saw Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and himself forming the new Big 4. Although he loved the idea, the youngster said that Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic could not be ignored yet.
"I hope so, it would be fine. I would feel privileged to be part of this group. But we can't yet rule out Nadal, who has won two Grand Slam titles this year, and Djokovic, who won one. In almost all tournaments, they are in the finals. They have very long careers and we are very young," Rune said.