The question every tennis fan is asking right now: can Holger Rune reclaim his place among the sport’s elite? Six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker believes the answer is yes, but only if the Danish star fixes what’s been holding him back.
Why Does Boris Becker Think Holger Rune Has What It Takes?
Tennis great Boris Becker has suggested that World No. 11Â Holger Rune should return to the top, where he should be able to challenge the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have split the four Slams for two consecutive years, in 2024 and 2025. Novak Djokovic has been the next best player at the majors this year, reaching at least the semifinals.
Rune must return to the top. That’s the message from Becker, who believes the young Dane has the mindset to challenge Djokovic but still lacks the structure to break through truly. He has contrasted the Dane’s approach to tennis with America’s top-ranked player, Taylor Fritz, who has a 0-11Â record against 24-time major winner Djokovic.
“I think he can beat Djokovic,” Becker said in the Becker-Petkovic podcast. “Before the (US Open quarterfinal) match against Novak, Fritz said, ‘Of course he is the favorite.’ Holger would never say that. He has a good attitude, but he needs the right coach and the right preparations, the right strategy.”
Rune, once ranked as high as No. 4, has arguably stagnated since his meteoric rise to the top in 2022 when he won his first (and only) Masters 1000 title in Paris by defeating Djokovic in a thrilling final. The partnership between Becker and Rune started working together in October 2023, but the German stepped down as Rune’s coach in February 2024 after less than five months due to professional and private commitments that prevented him from dedicating the necessary time to the role.
Notably, Becker also had a long coaching stint with Djokovic, whom he guided to several Grand Slam titles. The six-time Grand Slam champion broadened his criticism to the wider field, accusing many top 10 players of settling for second best.
“Yes, we praise Sinner and Alcaraz, along with Djokovic, but where are the rest! Zverev, Draper, Fritz, De Minaur, Ruud, Rune, Medvedev, Rublev, Khachanov – they are all in the top ten! Where are they?” the German great asked.
He added, “Most of them have resigned themselves to a second or third-rate role on the Tour. They get to the quarter-finals or semi-finals and say, it’s good. But it’s not good if you want to be the best. Players hide behind the fact that ‘Sinner and Alcaraz are much better.’ Why don’t they think strategically how to beat them? Watch old matches, analyze what happened in them.”
How Has Holger Rune Performed in the 2025 Tennis Season?
Rune reached the final of the 2025 BNP Paribas Open for the first time with defeats over eighth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, Tallon Griekspoor, and fifth seed Daniil Medvedev. His biggest result came at the Barcelona Open, where he defeated Alcaraz in the final in straight sets to claim the title.
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However, the Dane’s fortunes at the Grand Slam level have been mixed this season. While he reached Round 16 of the Australian and French Opens, he crashed out in Round 1 of Wimbledon and Round 2 of the recently-concluded US Open. These early exits highlight the inconsistency that Becker referenced in his critique.
At present, Rune is leading the Danish side in a Davis Cup qualifier against Spain in Marbella. The tie represents a crucial opportunity for Denmark to reach the Davis Cup Finals for the first time in their history, with the winner advancing to the prestigious Final 8 in Bologna this November.
