Holger Rune has changed his coaching team more than any player in recent years, but the Dane insists that hiring Lars Christensen for the third time is the right move.
Rune is already preparing for the 2025 season alongside Christensen. Although he lost an exhibition match against Casper Ruud in Norway on November 30th, it was still an ideal way for him to build momentum ahead of 2025.
Ruud and Rune will play again on December 3rd in Denmark. Their cordial relationship might surprise some fans after heated battles in the past, most notably in the 2022 French Open quarterfinal when Rune gave Ruud a cold handshake.
While success is never guaranteed, Rune's chances of playing better in 2025 might be helped by sticking with the same coach throughout the season after a pretty underwhelming 2024 by his high standards.
Four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier brutally criticized Rune's game at this year's Paris Masters. The former world No. 1 called the 21-year-old's game immature and felt he did not think clearly on the court.
Surprisingly, Boris Becker publicly agreed with Courier's remarks. The German tennis legend was briefly one of Rune's coaches, and it seemed like they parted on good terms, meaning he may have been expected to keep such thoughts to himself.
Becker's short spell with Rune from the closing stages of 2023 until February is one of the multiple coaching changes he made in the last few years. The Dane also had three spells with Patrick Mouratoglou, the last of which ended this year, and now three with Christensen.
Although players usually know what is right for themselves, it is challenging to see how the constant disruption in his team has helped him. It might be worth trying to give the same coach a chance for a longer period.
Rune's recent comments about working with Christensen indicate he plans to do that. The 2022 Paris Masters champion spoke about hiring him for a third time in remarks to the press at the Leschly Tennis Foundation.
"I asked Lars if he had the opportunity to just take a training session with me for two hours here in Denmark. Very informal. Just to see if it worked. And then it was just really good training. I could feel that everything was nice right away. All the details. He knows my technique, I have it in my basics."
"You're always nervous before you start something. Even if it is not completely new to us. But it went far beyond expectations. I've tried a lot of trainers, but what I feel with Lars is that we work in great detail. I know the way we work. And we have always achieved our objectives."
"It's hard to say... we probably both needed a little break. I might have wished that we had found each other a little sooner."
Kenneth Carlsen joined Rune's team last year, and the young star plans for him and Christensen to work together throughout 2025.
"We are going to make a mix between Lars and Kenneth. Lars is perhaps a little more out for tournaments. But it will be a good mix."