By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Wednesday August 9, 2023
Holger Rune has had a brilliant 52 weeks, winning his first Masters 1000 title last year at Paris and reaching another two Masters 1000 finals at Monte-Carlo and Rome. The Dane, 20 and ranked No.6, believes he hasn’t even scratched the surface of what is possible.
“I'm happy to be No. 6, but I'm not satisfied,” he told Andrew Eichenholz of ATPTour.com. “And I don't want to end at No. 6. I want to be No. 1, it's no secret. Right now I'm also trying to work 10 times harder than I did at the beginning of the year. So hopefully, everything will come together.”
At 37-13 on the season, the Dane is set to begin his hard court summer in Canada, where he faces American Marcos Giron in the second round.
Though he’s made incredible strides of late, there is still the specter of Carlos Alcaraz, the World No.1 and two-time major champion who is just one week younger than Rune. Perhaps the Spaniard’s success helps spark Rune’s insane level of desire and drive. In a different scenario, the Dane would be the darling of men’s tennis, instead is the second best, with aspirations for more.
An interesting dynamic for an interesting talent and personality.
Rune, who fell to Alcaraz in three sets at Wimbledon (Alcaraz leads 2-1 lifetime), hopes that the pair will begin a long and entertaining rivalry, just like the greats of the Big Three era.
“I think what Roger, Rafa and Novak did and also Borg, McEnroe, they [took] tennis to another level and another dimension, and hopefully we can do that also,” he said.
For now, he can continue grinding on the hard courts, working to take his game higher and earn another shot at Carlitos’ crown.