“I’m proud that he asked me” – Boris Becker confirms he is to coach Holger Rune

The legendary German will be working with the young Dane over the next few months

Boris Becker at the Davis Cup in 2023 (Imago/Panoramic)

October 19, 2023

Boris Becker has confirmed he will coach Holger Rune for the rest of the season.

In a podcast on Eurosport Germany, the six-time Grand Slam champion said (in his native German, quotes translated by Eurosport UK): “I can confirm that I am Holger Rune’s coach.

“It makes me a little proud that he asked me. The contact has existed for a long time. Now it was a very good fit.

“My calendar allows it and I have always been interested in Holger because he is on the tennis court with so much commitment and temperament.

“Holger then invited me to a training week in Monte-Carlo. I also had a long chat there with his mother Aneke and his performance coach Lapo Becherini. The three of us are responsible for Holger from now on. Unfortunately, I can’t be at the tournament in Stockholm this week because of previously arranged appointments.

“But I will be there in Basel at the latest, and afterwards, I will play Paris-Bercy with Holger – and hopefully help him to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. That is the big goal and that is the task.”

Becker: “Rune is a rough diamond”

Rune had spent a year working with Patrick Mouratoglou and was working once more with Lars Christensen.

The Dane has struggled in recent months, with a back injury contributing to a run of nine defeats in his last ten matches.

Becker, who has previously worked with Novak Djokovic, thinks his experience will assist Rune’s “attitude, mentality [and] psyche”.

He said: “Holger is a rough diamond that needs polishing. I like his emotional outbursts. I have coached a player before, Novak Djokovic, who was sometimes not quite himself on the court, but that is allowed.

“The question is: how quickly do you find your way back into the match, are you focused again? In the end, it’s not about sending your mother out of the stands, but winning the match. I love tennis and when one of the best 20-year-olds in the world asks me if I’d like to coach him… anyone who says no doesn’t have much to do with the sport.

“Of course, it’s all about attitude, even if it’s so easy to say that. But it is the main reason why tennis matches are won or lost. For me, it’s about: what is Holger’s motivation and the reason to go to China, for example. Is it just to win the first round or the tournament, is it for ranking points?

“That has to be discussed and it has to be very clear what the motivation is. I have some ideas on what can be improved. It starts with attitude, mentality, psyche – and I have a little idea about that.”