Rune criticizes himself: “I haven't worked hard enough, now it's time to change”

Will the Danish Viking ever win a slam?

  • Yes

    Votes: 21 31.3%

  • No

    Votes: 19 28.4%

  • I'd be surprised if it didn't happen

    Votes: 6 9.0%

  • I'd be surprised if that happened

    Votes: 17 25.4%

  • No I couldn't answer

    Votes: 4 6.0%
  • Total voters
    67
Winner Sinner

Winner Sinner

Hall of Fame
Holger Rune is at a turning point in his career. The Danish talent, after having burst into the tennis elite with a disruptive force, experienced two seasons of stagnation which led him to a deep reflection on his professional path.

In an interview with SuperTennisTV, Rune opened his heart by analyzing the last few years: “They have been a great challenge for me. Everything happened very quickly in my career. Winning that final in Paris-Bercy against Djokovic was beautiful, but also very stressful. I learned a lot from that experience and now I feel like I'm back on the right path.”
The Dane admitted that he had suffered the weight of expectations: “I felt a lot of pressure, I let myself be influenced by the expectations that people had on me. Now that phase is over. I understood that when you are young there are many things you don't know and you have to learn to react in the right way to what happens."

His self-criticism was particularly honest: “I accept people's criticism and admit that in the last year and a half I have not worked as hard as I should have. Now I'm doing it and I hope the results come. I understood how much effort it takes to win a Slam, which remains my big dream.”
Despite the need to improve, Rune does not intend to change his tennis: “I don't think I need to change my playing style. Look at Zverev, how he has improved lately without changing his tennis pattern. Before the ankle injury he was consistently top-5, now he has made a further leap in quality and is knocking more forcefully on the door of the Slams."

“My next goal is not to win a big tournament,” concluded Rune, “but to maximize my potential and improve physically, mentally and tennis-wise. If I succeed, I know the successes will come.”
 
I do not trust Rune at all.

When your RETURN game is bad, not serve, but return game, then you don't become great later.

Djokovic pre 2011 had insane return game. Sinner before 2024 had great return game.

Serve can be retooled and insane improvements be made. Eg. David Ferrer throughout his career kept on increasing his SPW peaking in 2010-13. At age of 28 to 31 I am guessing.

But return game means return of serve and then neutral and defensive play. You don't change it measurably at Rune's age of practically being 22.

So I do not mind hearing what he wants to say but trust is at all time low.

Serves can be improved, returns very very difficult.
 
nolefam_2024 said:
I do not trust Rune at all.

When your RETURN game is bad, not serve, but return game, then you don't become great later.

Djokovic pre 2011 had insane return game. Sinner before 2024 had great return game.

Serve can be retooled and insane improvements be made. Eg. David Ferrer throughout his career kept on increasing his SPW peaking in 2010-13. At age of 28 to 31 I am guessing.

But return game means return of serve and then neutral and defensive play. You don't change it measurably at Rune's age of practically being 22.

So I do not mind hearing what he wants to say but trust is at all time low.

Serves can be improved, returns very very difficult.
Click to expand...

It's harder to improve the return, but it doesn't mean it isn't doable. It depends a lot on why the return is bad in the first place. Is it positioning? That can be an easy fix. Is it timing? That can be incredibly hard to fix.
 
nolefam_2024 said:
I do not trust Rune at all.

When your RETURN game is bad, not serve, but return game, then you don't become great later.

Djokovic pre 2011 had insane return game. Sinner before 2024 had great return game.

Serve can be retooled and insane improvements be made. Eg. David Ferrer throughout his career kept on increasing his SPW peaking in 2010-13. At age of 28 to 31 I am guessing.

But return game means return of serve and then neutral and defensive play. You don't change it measurably at Rune's age of practically being 22.

So I do not mind hearing what he wants to say but trust is at all time low.

Serves can be improved, returns very very difficult.
Click to expand...

He's on the right track going back to his old coach. Players need to pick the right team for them, which may or may not include superstars like Becker.
 
I voted that sooner or later he will win a slam.
Rune is 21 years old, this means that between now and 30 years old, he will have about 40 chances of winning one.
The big opportunity will come and I don't see him as the type who will let it slip away.
 
nolefam_2024 said:
I do not trust Rune at all.

When your RETURN game is bad, not serve, but return game, then you don't become great later.

Djokovic pre 2011 had insane return game. Sinner before 2024 had great return game.

Serve can be retooled and insane improvements be made. Eg. David Ferrer throughout his career kept on increasing his SPW peaking in 2010-13. At age of 28 to 31 I am guessing.

But return game means return of serve and then neutral and defensive play. You don't change it measurably at Rune's age of practically being 22.

So I do not mind hearing what he wants to say but trust is at all time low.

Serves can be improved, returns very very difficult.
Click to expand...
Thiem and Wawrinka had mediocre returning
 
GRASScaraz said:
Where?
Click to expand...
Who knows. He has reached qf at all 4 slams. I think his game will translate to all surfaces equally. Maybe his clay resume looks better because his own return game has declined and clay is very forgiving in that area. It would be a mirage more likely.

Real wins at Wimby or faster courts can be possible due to net rushing but he is yet to be master at it. Let's see.
 
nolefam_2024 said:
Who knows. He has reached qf at all 4 slams. I think his game will translate to all surfaces equally. Maybe his clay resume looks better because his own return game has declined and clay is very forgiving in that area. It would be a mirage more likely.

Real wins at Wimby or faster courts can be possible due to net rushing but he is yet to be master at it. Let's see.
Click to expand...
I retract my statement. He has only reached QF on natural surfaces.

Still I am not convinced he is worse on hc than on natural surfaces. He has just gone back in his game on all surfaces.
 
Conparing Rune to Hewitt is ludicrous.
Hewitt at the age of 20 was youngest atp world no.1 ever. With 2 slams and 2 WTF under his belt.
Rune has one masters and several QF s at slams.
Hewitt would have a great career until 2006 when he became an ultimate Fed s pigeos and injuries derailed his respectable career
 
Winner Sinner said:
Despite the need to improve, Rune does not intend to change his tennis: “I don't think I need to change my playing style. Look at Zverev, how he has improved lately without changing his tennis pattern. Before the ankle injury he was consistently top-5, now he has made a further leap in quality and is knocking more forcefully on the door of the Slams."
Click to expand...
Rune looks at Zverev, the guy who was weeping during the trophy presentation after decisively losing his third slam final, and who is still slamless at just a few months shy of 28 years of age, and concludes that an also-ran top 10-20 player like himself can improve enough to win a slam without making any significant changes? Not exactly an analytical powerhouse, it seems.
 
nolefam_2024 said:
Serve can be retooled and insane improvements be made. Eg. David Ferrer throughout his career kept on increasing his SPW peaking in 2010-13. At age of 28 to 31 I am guessing.
Click to expand...
Ferrer fun fact: Ferrer lost the two biggest finals of his career, separated in time by almost six years, by virtually the same scores.

Federer d. Ferrer in the 2007 YEC final, 6-2 6-3 6-2.

Nadal d. Ferrer in the 2013 FO final, 6-3 6-2 6-3.

From hard courts to clay, from one generation's GOAT candidate to the next's, Ferrer was a solid runner-up.
 
JMR said:
Ferrer fun fact: Ferrer lost the two biggest finals of his career, separated in time by almost six years, by virtually the same scores.

Federer d. Ferrer in the 2007 YEC final, 6-2 6-3 6-2.

Nadal d. Ferrer in the 2013 FO final, 6-3 6-2 6-3.

From hard courts to clay, from one generation's GOAT candidate to the next's, Ferrer was a solid runner-up.
Click to expand...
Nice :)
 
Rune was too good at 19-20 to not win a slam. He is going through a lull now but will likely figure things out. He gets up for the big matches.
 
big ted said:
only becuz zverev keeps choking his chances, i don’t think anyone can choke as much as zverev has
Click to expand...
I don't think zverev choked so many chances at all. Only usopen 2020 was a choke. What other match did he choke that would yield him a slam or even a final?
 
Alcawrath said:
Holger is 21 and just gave Sinner arguably the most serious trouble of anyone in the AO. I could see Holger never winning one, but I could also see him getting a good draw on hard court and taking one in his career
Click to expand...
Only positive in his current career is age. 21 is too young.

So no one should say it would never happen.
 
nolefam_2024 said:
I don't think zverev choked so many chances at all. Only usopen 2020 was a choke. What other match did he choke that would yield him a slam or even a final?
Click to expand...

well he was up 2 sets to 1 against alcarez at the FO last year then something happened..
of this years AO final, Becker said he knew zverev was in trouble just by the way he walked out on the court like he didn’t believe in himself o_O
 
He asked for MTO mid game, when opponent was serving for a match. He doesn't have a fair play mindset and that will bite him back forever.
 
I guess anything is possible. Sinner and Carlos won’t vulture ever single slam for the next 5 years I wouldn’t think. Injuries will happen to both guys sooner or later. . I’m sure there will be an opening for the little whiny baby at some point

I mean the tour is shallow as hell. Far more than it was in the 2000s or even 2010s at the moment. Outside of Carlos and sinner who you got? Fritz? Zverev who has never won a slam? rune will eventually snatch a slam from one of these two pretenders
 
Aabye5 said:
It's harder to improve the return, but it doesn't mean it isn't doable. It depends a lot on why the return is bad in the first place. Is it positioning? That can be an easy fix. Is it timing? That can be incredibly hard to fix.
Click to expand...
interesting. can anyone think of a player who has become a markedly better returner over the course of their career? does seem to be just one of those things you can do, or...can't. i'm having a think on it...
 
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