Novak Djokovic on seeing ex-coach Boris Becker in Holger Rune's camp: "Not going to be nice for me"
Novak Djokovic recently said that seeing his former mentor Boris Becker in Holger Rune's entourage at the 2023 Paris Masters tournament would be unpleasant for him.
Becker recently teamed up with Rune, and it is already proving to be a fruitful collaboration if the Dane's current run at the Swiss Indoors in Basel is anything to go by. Holger Rune has advanced to the semifinals of the ATP 500 tournament, his first significant result since Wimbledon.
In a press conference ahead of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Paris, Novak Djokovic discussed his ex-coach Boris Becker joining Holger Rune's camp, saying:
“Boris is a dear friend, someone who has been through a lot in the last several years of his life. I'm really glad to see him back on the tour as a coach. It's probably not going to be that nice and comfortable for me seeing him, if I face Holger, seeing him in the opposite box, because that hasn't happened yet. If it does, obviously that's not a great feeling."
Djokovic, at the same time, emphasized that he and the six-time Grand Slam champion get along really well and that they have maintained a friendly relationship to this day.
“But at the same time, I have maintained a friendly relation with Boris and he knows I really love him a lot and his family. I'm really glad that they came together,” Djokovic stated.
The current World No. 1 won an astounding 14 ATP Masters 1000 titles and six Major singles titles under the 55-year-old German’s tutelage from 2014-2016.
Novak Djokovic weighs in on Holger Rune
Novak Djokovic, who is eyeing his seventh title at the final ATP Masters 1000 tournament this year in Paris, was ousted by none other than his ex-coach’s current protege, Holger Rune, in the 2022 final.
During the same press conference, the 36-year-old stated that having Boris Becker on his coaching staff was a wise decision by Rune, given the German's experience as both a player and a coach.
“I think it's a very good decision from Holger to invite Boris to join his team. Boris is legend of our sport, someone that, you know, understands the game so well from a player's perspective, coaching perspective," Djokovic said.
While Djokovic praised the 20-year-old Dane for making the top 10, he cautioned that achieving tennis greatness — such as winning Grand Slams — is an entirely different ball game.
“So I think for Holger, it's a great move because, you know, Holger is a young player who already has established himself in the top 10 of the world, but obviously it's one thing to reach the top 10 and to break into top 10, and it's something else to get to a different level and start winning slams and, you know, getting to the top spots of the world,” Djokovic said.