After Boris Becker split, Holger Rune wants stability.
The Danish world No. 7 has gotten into a bad habit that could impede his progress after firing four instructors in less than a year.
In less than a year, Holger Rune has parted ways with four coaches. Image courtesy of Pascal Guyot/AFP via Getty Images
After Boris Becker said earlier this week that he is stepping down as Holger Rune’s head coach, the headlines in Denmark read, “Kaempe chock!” However, it is questionable to what extent it was a “big shock.”
After Severin Lüthi left Rune’s squad on the last day of January, Becker was the second high-profile player to leave in as many weeks.
Rune, the world No. 7 from Denmark, has now had four different trainers in as many years. Although the German’s departure appears to be unexpected, it actually fits into a pattern.
It’s unfortunate because the collaboration seemed to be going so nicely. The impact was immediate when Becker came on trial to Rune’s club in October of last year.
The 20-year-old’s eight losses in nine matches following Wimbledon was abruptly stopped, and he went on to claim his first-ever ATP Finals appearance with strong runs in Basel and Paris.
It served as a reminder of the depth of knowledge that Becker possesses—”more conceptual and tactical than technical,” according to Rune.
The German had a clear influence, but soon after he left, he also mentioned the conflicting “professional and private commitments.”
The tension was glaringly evident at the Australian Open, when Becker called the match from a Munich-based Eurosport studio as Rune lost horribly to Arthur Cazaux in the second round.
From the beginning, it was evident that Becker, who was convicted of tax evasion in 2022, would not be able to travel with Rune to every big tournament due to his media obligations and travel constraints.
When the decision was made last November to prolong Becker’s term as head coach, all involved would have been aware of this reality.
It’s also possible that this reality played some role in the subsequent hiring of former Roger Federer coach Lüthi and former Danish No. 1 Kenneth Carlsen, who both accompanied Rune to Melbourne.
In any case, Becker’s claim that he misjudged the size of the work is complicated by the fact that those appointments were made. They gave the idea that the player was surrounded by a highly skilled and experienced group that could handle any situation, including any availability issues.
Although Rune seemed resolute in his pursuit of keeping up with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, securing his place as one of the three twentysomethings predicted to succeed Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, Becker made it clear in his announcement of his departure that his primary focus was more pressing.
Becker posted on X, formerly Twitter, “We started this collaboration with the primary goal to reach the ATP Finals but moving ahead I recognized that in order for this to be successful, I would need to be accessible for Holger much more than I can.”
I’m unable to provide Holger with what he needs right now because of work and personal obligations. I will always be his biggest admirer and I wish him nothing but the best.
It makes sense that Becker would feel this way about his former pupil considering Rune’s belief in him during a trying time in his life. The reason Becker should have realized the extent of the commitment so late is more difficult to understand.
It’s not as if the German, a former world No. 1 and six-time grand slam champion, was suddenly lost in strange waters. As the Serb’s coach since 2013, Becker has led Djokovic to six major wins in three years, so he has an unmatched understanding of what it takes to develop a top player with grand slam goals.
The fact that the German’s departure is identical to Lüthi’s—sudden, cordial, and explained by time constraints—only heightens the situation’s curiosity.
Aneke, Rune’s mother, has stated that “it would be too few weeks for Severin to be able to cover for the continuity that Holger needs.”
Although she has applauded Lüthi’s efforts to modify Rune’s routine in theory, Aneke has questioned the timing of the changes’ introduction during the Australian Open as well as the Swiss’s purported lack of availability to see the process through.
Aneke stated on the Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast, “This is wonderful if you come in and you want to incorporate a lot of modifications in the routines that the player generally does.” “Because you’re not the best in the world if you’re ranked No. 7, so you need to change your approach to get better.
The challenging part is getting started at a high level. Looking back, we can see that the player was clearly more anxious during grand slams, hence the timing of the implementation of new features was not ideal.
The fact that the next time we were meant to meet Severin was at the end of March—I wasn’t aware of the timetable prior to Melbourne—was another reason it wasn’t a great fit.
“Maybe if you were 25 or 27, this would work—to follow up on the improvements you want to make and not see the player for two months. However, if you’re twenty years old, you have to keep doing the things you want to do.
Okay, it makes sense, but Rune is not your typical 20-year-old, and it makes me ask why a player with the Dane’s level of work ethic couldn’t have started the repetition process alongside Carlsen when Lüthi wasn’t around.
Rune is obviously a man in a rush, but as demonstrated by the methodical development that has produced Sinner a grand slam champion, change requires time, which doesn’t seem to be an abundant resource on Team Rune.
Lüthi stated to the Swiss daily Blick after leaving that the collaboration was “everything but a simple fix.” Was there, however, a long-term unwillingness to adopt his methods? Given his lengthy and illustrious relationship with Federer, obtaining Lüthi’s services was somewhat of a coup, and Aneke has acknowledged that she and Rune were originally “a little starstruck” by the Swiss.
However, there was a hint of doubt in her assessment of Lüthi’s wish to emulate her son’s flamboyant on-court attitude.
Aneke remarked, “Holger is extremely vivacious and dynamic in his tennis.” “He’s a passionate player who enjoys playing this manner, but there are definitely situations where you should tell someone to “here you have to control or save your energy a little.”
However, you are unable to remove Holger’s energy. You lose a lot of qualities that make Holger who he is—you lose the net game, you lose the explosiveness. Thus, there needs to be a very careful balance between the areas of fire and ice.
I would want to notify you that, effective immediately, I will be leaving my position as Holger Rune’s head coach. Our original objective when we began this cooperation was to make it to the ATP Finals by the end of the previous year, but as time went on, I realized that in order for this to be successful, I would need
