Mouratoglou, Rune and Cerundolo open IMG Future Stars in Athens

The third annual IMG Future Stars event was launched on Monday in Athens

Patrick Mouratoglou at IMG Future Stars (© IMG)

April 23, 2024

More than a tournament, it’s a moment that will leave its mark. Holger Rune and his coach Patrick Mouratoglou, along with and Argentine player Francisco Cerundolo, launched the third edition of the IMG Future Stars on Monday in Athens, on the the clay courts of the Tatoi Club.

And they had messages for the 48 budding champions brought together, by invitation, by the
by the IMG sports events company: building a career in tennis “is a marathon, not a sprint” , according to Mouratoglou.

Making friends and connecting with the world of tennis this week is going to be at least as important as
as winning matches, highlighted Rune.

Inspiration for the best U12 in the world

The IMG Future Stars is an international event designed to prepare the world’s best players under the age of 12 for their dream of a top-level career. Before the competition gets under way on Tuesday – with a pool format and consolation rounds, guaranteeing all players a minimum of three matches – the organisers are making sure that the young players and their families gather to draw inspiration from the personalities they’d like to emulate.

Holger Rune, ranked 12th in the world, was the star of the opening day. The crowd was deprived of his scheduled duel against Francisco Cerundolo, with a career-high ranking of 19th in the world, who felt pain in training. Instead, Rune took on Alexandros Skorilas, ranked 708th in the world, and Chris Spyrou, aged 17, ranked 770th in the world junior rankings, and beat both 6-2.

Mouratoglou : mind your team !

But the main event took place beforehand, when Patrick Mouratoglou, the Danish player’s coach (and co-founder of Tennis Majors), delivered a masterclass and question-and-answer session for players, coaches and parents. The French coach insisted on the need for young champions to surround themselves with a stable team, in order to develop key skills for their future, to express themselves under pressure, and to turn defeats into sources of learning for their future.

Mike James, performance analyst on Rune’s staff, introduced the young players and their coaches to a
a little-known aspect of player development: statistical data. He has supported the coaches of young players – including China’s Yanru Li or Estonia’s Elizaveta Anikina, winner of the last Auray tournament – with these new tools.

“When I was 12 years old, I was a fan and inspired by many players,” commented Rune, an IMG player since the beginning of the year. “It’s an important moment for me to play in front of these young players, to offer them my best tennis and show them how hard I train.

“I want to believe that they will all be good players, and I can see that they’re giving it their all.”