Holger Rune will waste his potential unless he takes immediate action

Holger Rune could be remembered as someone who did not maximize his ability unless he makes changes.

A few years ago, many viewed Rune in the same bracket as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner when discussing future Grand Slam champions and thought his rise to the top of the ATP Tour was inevitable.

So far, Rune has not lived up to that hype. The 22-year-old Dane still has a lengthy career ahead of him, but he is already in danger of being left behind and not consistently challenging for the most significant titles.

2022 was Rune's breakout year. He had only recently turned 19 when he progressed to the French Open quarterfinal. Casper Ruud defeated him at that stage in a controversial match that included Rune shouting at someone in his box to leave and giving the Norwegian a cold handshake at the end.

Even more notable success occurred a few months later at the 2022 Paris Masters. Still aged 19, Rune had a stunning run to the title in the French capital, beating Novak Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a thrilling final.

In the 2023 clay-court swing, Rune was the runner-up at the Monte-Carlo Masters and Italian Open, losing to Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev. That further solidified his position as someone who might be almost ready to challenge for Grand Slams.

When the 2023 Italian Open ended, Carlos Alcaraz was a one-time major champion and four-time Masters 1000 winner. While undoubtedly ahead of Rune, the gap between them did not seem overwhelming.

Jannik Sinner had not reached a Grand Slam final or won a Masters 1000 title when Rune finished as the 2023 runner-up in Rome. The Dane's triumph in Paris meant he had won a big title before Sinner, despite being almost two years younger.

Rather than Rune forming an essential part of a 'Big Three' that moved to the top of tennis, Alcaraz and Sinner have utterly dominated the ATP Tour in the last two years and left everyone else in their wake.

At 22, Alcaraz is already a six-time Grand Slam champion and regained the ATP No. 1 ranking after beating Sinner in the 2025 US Open final. He is a two-time champion at the US Open, French Open, and Wimbledon.

Sinner has split the last eight Grand Slams with Alcaraz since the start of 2024. The Italian became a worldwide star after winning the 2024 Australian Open, and has consistently been at the top since.

The 24-year-old was the No. 1 from June 2024 until September this year, when Alcaraz overtook him. Alexander Zverev, the current world No. 3, is over 4,000 ranking points behind Sinner at No. 2 in the rankings.

Sinner and Alcaraz's respective ages and mentalities mean they will almost certainly keep improving. If Rune, who has yet to reach a Grand Slam semifinal, continues his stagnation from the last two years, he will be left further behind.

Rune is known for consistently changing his team. He has collaborated with Patrick Mouratoglou and Lars Christensen three times. Kenneth Carlson and Christensen have been his coaches since October 2024.

Such frequent coaching alterations might lead some to doubt whether more changes would be beneficial. However, Rune has repeatedly used two coaches rather than looking more broadly and getting someone with a different personality for an extended period.

Rune is prone to tantrums and petulance on the court, and usually does not use those moments positively. The most recent example was shouting "f**k you guys!" at his team during his 2025 Shanghai Masters defeat to the eventual champion, Valentin Vacherot.

Boris Becker briefly worked with Rune before quitting because he could not commit to traveling consistently. The former Paris Masters winner trained with Andre Agassi in the 2025 North American swing but did not become his coach.

A former top player who would not tolerate any antics from Rune would be a suitable coach. If he could handle brutal honesty, Goran Ivanisevic, who split from Stefanos Tsitsipas after publicly criticizing him, is a possible option.

Last year, four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier said Rune did not play his matches with a clear game plan and described his game as immature. Former coach Becker publicly agreed with those remarks.

That aspect of Rune's game has not developed in the 12 months since. In recent defeats to Vacherot, Jan-Lennard Struff, Terence Atmane, and Alexei Popyrin, it was evident that Rune possessed more talent but consistently made the wrong decisions.

Christensen and Carlson must take some responsibility for this. While Rune's attitude and antics are issues, he does not seem to trust them like Sinner does with Darren Cahill and Alcaraz with Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Of course, improving technically and physically is also pivotal, but Rune will not reach the top if he steps onto the court on significant stages against Alcaraz and Sinner without the proper tactical understanding.