Holger Rune has made several changes within his support team this season, and one of those was to end the professional relationship with his mother, Aneke.
This season, Rune parted ways with two of his prominent coaches - Severin Luthi and Boris Becker. Swiss coach Luthi lasted less than two months in his role following his appointment. And Becker, who left after a week or so, was only appointed permanently during the off-season in 2023.
Both men cited the complicated scheduling as a constraint, something that surprised many within the tennis world, including commentator Mark Petchey, who called it a myth. The 20-year-old has rehired Frenchman Patrick Mouratoglou as his new coach.
Aneke Rune served as the press manager for his son but has also been an advisor and a confidant who helped Holger make some tough decisions in his young career. But a few weeks ago, she stepped down from her customary role as her son's agent.
Rune announced that he would partner with the IMG management company, which will mostly handle his brand. Moreover, Aneke will not accompany Rune in as many tournaments as in the previous seasons.
In an interview with BT, Aneke shed light on her surprise resignation and why she will not travel with Holger frequently. She stated that it was all part of the plan from the beginning. She believes her son has "matured enormously" to handle things all by himself.
"All the way through from when Holger became a teenager, the plan was that I would gradually step back more when he could start handling more and more things himself."
"And I think Holger has matured enormously. There is no longer any filter when he has to convey to his team what he needs or what is important to him."
In the same interview, Aneke also asserted that she would have left her support team as early as last year but acknowledged that the situation became "chaotic" and famously divulged on ego clashes between Mouratoglou and Rune's previous longtime coach Lars Christensen.
"The reason I didn't withdraw already last year was that it all became a bit more chaotic than we had expected. So there had to be some kind of stability around Holger. He needs security. There must be recognition around the people he works with. And it's there now, I can feel it."
Holger Rune is currently competing at the Mexican Open, where he progressed into the round of 16 after beating USA's Michael Mmoh in straight sets to start his campaign.
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