Former world No 1 Jim Courier believes that Denmark’s Holger Rune is a young player who stands out.
Courier believes that what makes Rune stand out is the swagger that he plays the game with and the way he carries himself.
The former American star contended that Rune is different from Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, but insists that he is excited by the futures of all three young prospects.
Rune fell short of reaching the ATP Finals after a three-set loss to Jannik Sinner to end his group stage programme.
However, he was able to win several new fans in his first appearance in the year-end series.
Jim Courier dissected Holger Rune’s performances on tour in the last few months in an appearance on the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast.
The 20-year-old’s decline in play following his quarterfinal Wimbledon Championships 2023 loss to eventual winner Carlos Alcaraz was ascribed by Courier to a string of niggles and a succession of coaching changes.
“Well, I think we were surprised,” Courier said.
“And then when we found out that he’d been suffering from a pinched nerve in his back, it made a lot more sense. Yeah. And there had been a lot of complications with his coaching team as well. From the clay court season on, there was a lot of movement there between Lars Christensen and Patrick Muradoglou, back and forth. And then eventually, Boris Becker entered the scene this fall.”
Courier believes that the prospect of Rune, Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz forming a new big three was an exciting one for the future of tennis.
“That seemed to time out with his body being back to full strength as far as health goes. Maybe not full fitness, but the confidence has come back. And that’s been nice to see because he’s a player with swagger. He’s a character in this new, younger triumvirate with Rune and Alcaraz and Sinner,” Courier added.
“He’s different, you know, and you want three different guys like that coming through. They may not be the next big three, but they’re in the same age group, and they’ve got the same ambition. It’s going to be interesting to watch those guys.”
Speaking in Turin, Rune admitted that it was his ambition to win both the ATP Tour Finals and a Grand Slam but he puts the Majors first in priority.
“I think the Nitto ATP Finals is the biggest ATP event we have.
“I think it’s super, super exciting event because I compare it a little bit to Formula 1, if you can, because they have these smaller events with less players. It’s very intense. It’s less matches. Top against top. Obviously you have one day rest every time, so it’s nice for the body also.
“I think, I mean, if you ask me would I rather win a Grand Slam or win the ATP Finals, my dream has always been to win a Grand Slam, but my dream is also to win here.
“It’s tough to make an order. But for me, for me, Grand Slams is, yeah, the biggest thing we have in tennis.”
