Six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker agreed with Jim Courier's stinging critique of Holger Rune, whom the German coached for a brief period.
Rune's 2024 season has not been overly successful. Although the 21-year-old does not think it should be called a bad season, fellow young players Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have moved further ahead of him.
After starting the year by reaching the final of the Brisbane International, Rune has not progressed to another final since. The closest he came was in the Cincinnati Open semifinal when Frances Tiafoe saved two match points to beat him.
The Dane played some of his best tennis of 2024 at the Paris Masters, a tournament he won in 2022 with a memorable three-set triumph against Novak Djokovic. Rune also reached the semifinal last year in the French capital, and it is probably the event he is most comfortable competing in.
After beating Matteo Arnaldi, Alexander Bublik, and Arthur Cazaux, Rune kept his slim hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals alive with a battling victory against the Australian Alex de Minaur.
However, those hopes were ended by Alexander Zverev in the semifinal. The German defeated Rune, guaranteeing he will overtake Carlos Alcaraz at No. 2 when the new ATP rankings are released.
Although Rune's level was better than it had been for most of 2024 at the Paris Masters, four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier made some blunt remarks about Rune on commentary.
The American believes Rune's game is immature, relying on instinct rather than thinking clearly on the court and developing a way of playing that can consistently challenge the best players in the world.
"I for one have no idea what he's trying to do out here. It's just all happening instinctively, it's like a full-blown jazz exploration out here. No rhyme, no rhythm. There's a lot of great things happening, it's just all scattershot and that is not a recipe for long-term success."
"It's still a very immature game. If he wants to be with the big boys consistently. He's gonna have to find something he can rely on rather than throwing paint against the wall and seeing what it looks like when it's all said and done. He just needs a sense of order and doesn't have it."
Becker had a brief spell as Rune's coach in the closing stages of 2023 before leaving a few months later. The German agreed with Courier's comments in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
"Jim knows what he's talking about!"
Rune's former coach agreeing publicly with a critique of him might be surprising to the Dane. The pair seemed to part on cordial terms but that has not stopped Becker from giving his view about the two-time French Open quarterfinalist.
The incredible number of changes in Rune's team might be responsible for his instinctive playing. He is currently working with Lars Christensen for a third time after three spells with Patrick Mouratoglou and a brief spell with Becker.
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