Rune excited by Becker’s influence: “He’s helping me handle the big moments better”

Holger Rune says his partnership with coach Boris Becker is already bearing fruit, with the former world No 1 bringing a knowledge and insight that could help him take the next step.

After a trial in October, world No 8 Rune confirmed Becker as a full-time part of his team soon after and the Dane believes Becker’s experience could be key as he tries to keep up with Novak Djokovic (formerly coached by Becker), Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner at the top of the game.

Like many players before him – think Andy Murray and Ivan Lendl, for example, Rune wanted someone who has been there and done it. In Becker, who won six Grand Slam titles and was a formidable competitor from a young age, he is confident he has found it.

“I think it’s very exciting,” Rune told the Advantage Connors podcast, presented by former world No 1 Jimmy Connors and his son Brett Connors. “So far he’s been bringing a lot on he mentality. A few technical things but more mentality, how you can handle the big moments better, how to save your energy in the matches, to do things mentally better.

“I think he’s a very good man, he made already a plan with my fitness coach and analyst on things to improve and he’s very involved already. (Even when it was a trial), his passion just to test was very nice to see,” he said. “He was really into it.”

“He knows what you’re going through”

With his booming serve, Becker was a master at conserving energy on his opponents’ service games, often not really going flat out for a break unless he won at least one of the first two points in the game.

But it is mental strength, in particular, that Rune is keen to harness.

“When you get those emotions on the court, he knows the feeling, he knows what you’re going through and can guide you in the right way,” Rune said. “Some other coaches can say, ‘I know how you feel’; no, you don’t know how I feel because you’ve never been there. For sure Boris has had that.”

And Rune said he hoped to pick up a few tips from one of the best servers the game has ever seen.

“He had his weapons so he’s trying to give me some of his weapons,” he said. “We can’t hide that it might be the serve. He has a lot of interesting advice on serve. My serve is going better. His serve wasn’t bad.”

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