"Things are not always as easy as they look on paper" - Holger Rune's mother Aneke on Boris Becker, Severin Luthi coaching situation
Holger Rune's mother Aneke recently spoke up about Boris Becker's absence at the Australian Open 2024. She also discussed her son's ill-fated short-term association with Roger Federer's ex-coach Severin Luthi.
Rune appointed Becker as his coach in October 2023. In December, the Dane added more strength and depth to his coaching team by appointing Severin Luthi.
This year's Australian Open would have been Rune's first Grand Slam with Becker in his box. However, the German did not accompany Rune's team Down Under.
Rune's Australian Open run ended in a shock upset at the hands of French youngster Arthur Cazaux in the second round, 6(4)-7, 4-6, 6-4, 3-6. Shortly after the conclusion of the tournament, Rune's mother Aneke announced that Rune had parted ways with Luthi.
The 20-year-old then headed to the Open Sud de France, where an arm injury forced him to retire during his semifinal match against Borna Coric. A few days later, Becker announced that he would be stepping down from his position in Rune's team.
Aneke shed light on Becker's Australian Open absence during her appearance as a guest on The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast.
"Becker already had some obligations with Eurosport. So it was not possible for him to be there (Australian Open). Boris couldn't cover all weeks anyway, so we needed someone else," she said.
Aneke also spoke about her son's decision to reach out to Severin Luthi.
"Then Holger had the dialog with Severin also so it was easy to ask him if it could be interesting and obviously he has huge experience from Roger so we thought, and the chemistry was good, so it looked like a perfect fit," she said.
Aneke added that the short-lived partnership between Holger Rune and Severin Luthi seemed like a good idea at the time.
"Things are not always as easy as they look on the paper though, but it was a good try," she said.
Exploring the split between Holger Rune and Severin Luthi
Holger Rune and Severin Luthi ended their working relationship less than three months after they announced their partnership. Rune's mother Aneke announced that her son and Luthi were parting ways during a conversation with Ekstra Bladet.
"Don't want to make a big deal out of it, but the timing with Severin was clearly not right. It would be too few weeks for Severin to be able to cover for the continuity that Holger needs," she said.
Luthi himself reflected on the split shortly after Aneke's announcement, in an interview with Blick.
"If you notice this (that the timing was not right), then I say: we would rather separate now than in six months. (The collaboration was) anything but a quick fix," he said.
Luthi added that the split was not bitter and that his short stint with the Dane was a positive one.
"I'm glad I was able to have this experience - it was my first job after Roger Federer's retirement. That will help me personally," he said.
Holger Rune's team has recently undergone another significant change, with mother Aneke stepping down from her role as his press manager. The World No. 7's press management responsibilities will now be handled by International Management Group (IMG).