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What Happened to Holger Rune?

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports
By Zain Mustafa | Last updated Sep 14, 2025 8:30 AM ET

Tennis is always searching for the next big thing. When Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal retired, the sport longed for new heroes. In came Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, almost as if gifted by the tennis gods. The pair have gone on to dominate, winning nine of the last ten Majors, eight in succession.

But not long ago, there was supposed to be a third member of this new ruling class: Holger Rune.

At just nineteen, Rune lit up the Paris-Bercy Masters in 2022 with one of the finest breakout runs the sport has seen in years. He defeated five consecutive Top 10 seeds, including Alcaraz, and then defeated Novak Djokovic in a gripping final. Overnight, he wasn’t just a rising star; he was being dubbed “the next Djokovic.”

Fast forward to today, and the story is very different. While Alcaraz and Sinner continue to soar, Rune has slipped out of the Top 10. In fact, he has watched players like Jack Draper, Ben Shelton, and even Lorenzo Musetti leapfrog him in the rankings and in the conversation.

So, what went wrong?

Fragile Body, Flawed Game

Rune’s shot-making has always dazzled, but his body has struggled to withstand the demands of the tour. Chronic back pain and recurring muscle injuries repeatedly cut short his momentum. Where Sinner rebuilt his frame and Alcaraz relied on natural athleticism, Rune often looked brittle, brilliant for a week, but rarely across a season.

Technically, gaps in his game proved just as costly. Modeled as a counterpuncher in the vein of Andre Agassi or Djokovic, Rune was expected to dictate rallies with precision. Yet he never developed an elite, reliable forehand, especially in attack or under pressure. That flaw made him streaky: untouchable when it clicked, beatable by anyone when it didn’t.

His return game also lagged. Despite looking sharp to the eye, statistics consistently placed him among the weaker returners in the Top 20, with frequent missed second-serve returns and a reliance on guesswork rather than anticipation. With both his forehand and return unreliable, Rune never sustained the level expected of him.

Chaos in the Box

Stability is everything in elite sport, and Rune has lacked it from the start. Alcaraz flourished under Juan Carlos Ferrero, Sinner under Simone Vagnozzi, and Darren Cahill. Rune, meanwhile, cycled through coaches — Lars Christensen, Patrick Mouratoglou, Boris Becker, and back again. His support team was constantly changing, with no long-term vision. Until the recent addition of Marco Panichi, Djokovic’s long-time fitness coach, he had not even had a consistent personal trainer or physio to manage his body.

That instability magnified Rune’s natural volatility. His fiery temperament made him compelling but costly. Clashes with opponents, crowds, and even his own box became common. Unlike Sinner, whose calm intensity is almost machine-like, or Alcaraz, whose joy disarms pressure, Rune’s unpredictability defined him.

The Harsh Truth

Holger Rune was supposed to be the third giant of his generation. Instead, he has become its cautionary tale, proof that talent alone isn’t enough. Just this weekend he lost a decisive match in the Davis Cup to Spain’s Pedro Martinez. In his last two Grand Slams, he’s fallen before the third round and isn’t quite on track to hit his usual target of 40 ATP wins in a season thus far, sitting at 28 after the US Open.

At 23, his story is far from over. Tennis careers are longer now, and fortunes can change quickly. With Panichi on board, a stronger body, and a more stable team, Rune still has time to climb back and challenge again. But for now, as Sinner and Alcaraz carve up the sport, Rune is the star who stalled and a reminder that the path to greatness is never guaranteed.

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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