Patrick Mouratoglou on Holger Rune: "It stands out"
Patrick Mouratoglou has had a successful few weeks as Holger Rune 's new coach. On the sidelines of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris-Bercy, the Frenchman has now taken stock of the collaboration. And this is consistently positive.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Nov 06, 2022, 07:57 am
Of course, this partnership seemed extremely interesting right from the start. Holger Rune, one of the players who has shown like no other in recent months that he wants to have a say in who will be able to control tennis in the years to come, is now working with Patrick Mouratoglou. The French star coach, the longtime, highly successful companion of Serena Williams. And the owner of the tennis academy of the same name.
Holger Rune also spent a not inconsiderable part of his youthful maturation process there. Accordingly, they have known each other for a long time, as Rune recently explained in Basel - and Mouratoglou has now emphasized again: "We have known each other for a long time because he was part of my academy for three years, and at some point when I was available he asked me whether I wanted to be part of his team," explained the Frenchman about the beginnings of the collaboration. "At that point I told him I would be available until the end of the year and then we would see what we could do."
Mouratoglou satisfied with achievements
The cooperation has now, after a short time, brought some remarkable successes to light: such as winning the title in Stockholm, reaching the final in Basel or reaching an ATP Masters 1000 semi-final in Paris-Bercy for the first time. Where Holger Rune had the upper hand against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals - the world number one had to retire in the tie-break of the second set: "It's an important milestone and this week he showed that he can play well and beat big players; those are important results, give self-confidence," explained Mouratoglou after the success. "He's shown that he belongs to this group of players here and that's a first step. I've told him in several games that he's proving to be one of the best."
The next day, the Dane followed up with a surprising win over high-flyer Felix Auger-Aliassime. The Scandinavian is in his first final at the ATP Masters 1000 level. He showed an extremely strong tournament in the French capital, with Wawrinka and two top 10 players already eliminating big competition on the way to the quarterfinals. "He deserves to be where he is," said Mouratoglou. As Rune already explained in Basel, one is currently a little ahead of schedule. The top 15 this year seems realistic, the goals for the coming year are much higher.
Rune with a special property
What did he himself, Mouratoglou, adapt to the Dane's game? "First of all, I think he's calmed down a lot on the pitch and is in control of his emotions, something he's struggled with for a long time. That's really important because once emotions take over, it's not easy to do the right thing and keep things in perspective," explained the Frenchman. "Then he seems more structured to me and takes things more seriously. He used to switch from aggression to passivity a lot during matches, while now he's trying to stay on the same level globally."
But what really sets the 19-year-old apart from comparable players is the irrepressible self-confidence, the belief in yourself, as Mouratoglou emphasizes: "The great champions already have the ability to be strong in important moments. A champion is the one who with 15 years against Nadal believes he can win," said the star coach. "There are many players who on paper would have the chance to beat stronger players but they don't succeed because of their lack of confidence. That's something very special he has and I think that stands out."