When one loses faith in Rune

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I admit that I once believed in Holger Rune. I confess. I saw him do something extraordinary during the Paris Masters in 2022, and I thought there was potential for greatness. Two and a half years later, my faith in the Dane has almost completely disappeared. Attitudes like the one yesterday at the Buenos Aires tournament, on the court, and especially in the press room, only confirm to me that he has been struggling for a while and that his career is not being managed as it should.

I understand that winning a Masters 1000 tournament by defeating several Top 10 players along the way and beating Djokovic in the final creates expectations. That's normal. Even more so when you are only 19 years old. The problem is that one water drop doesn't make an ocean, and a good week on the tour doesn't make you a potential winner of 20 Grand Slams. Perhaps that is where the problems for the Dane began. Maybe that title was a poisoned chalice. It came too soon.

He and his circle possibly imagined things that were still far from being achieved. Sometimes, a poorly managed triumph can shatter an athlete's mind. In recent times, we have seen Masters 1000 winners like Popyrin and Hurkacz, and no one would consider them potential Grand Slam winners. The expectations that Holger and his circle created may be a burden that has weighed heavily on him ever since.

There's a phrase that has haunted him for a while. "I hope that Alcaraz, Sinner, and I will be called the new Big 3." No one placed him there; he positioned himself. And reality slowly made him realize that he was far behind his two generational peers. While Carlos and Jannik now have a total of seven Grand Slam titles, he has yet to reach the semifinals and hasn't won another Masters 1000 since.

He found himself in a place far from where he could reach, both in terms of work and tennis. The mind plays tricks when you believe in something that isn't true. His circle also seems to have not helped him during this time. The turnover of coaches in the past year is evidence of that. There must have been something odd with Luthi and Becker since they barely lasted a couple of months in the job. Only they will know what was going on, but it doesn't seem like an ideal environment to manage the career of a 21-year-old.

We all agree that Rune's best level is worth considering, but since that week in Paris 2022, we have only seen glimpses of his best tennis. The player from Gentofte lacks consistency, perseverance, and a clear idea of where he wants to go. He wants to do so many things that he ends up not doing any of them well and lacks a clear playing strategy. Mentally, he easily loses focus during matches and cannot be defined as mentally strong.

An attitude that is hard to understand

What happened in Buenos Aires last night is hard to digest. Considering that he may not be physically at 100%, it is up to him whether the level he is at is enough to perform on the court. Because portraying a poor image, both on and off the court, is not helpful. Imagine what the organizers of the Argentine tournament must think after signing Holger for a significant amount of money, using him as one of the main attractions, only for him to deliver the performance he did, along with what happened during the press conference.

"The event is well-organized. The courts are not great (laughs), but otherwise, all good."

That statement doesn't help anyone. It doesn't help himself or the tournament. If the courts were indeed not up to par, the logical thing would be to address it internally with the organization to improve for future editions. You don't publicly criticize it while laughing, further demonstrating how poorly his career is being managed and how he presents himself to others.

A tournament that trusted in him, paid him a good sum of money to bring him there, and surely did everything possible to make him feel comfortable. Yet, it receives a public backlash for having subpar courts. To top it off, he adds, "I don't know if I will play here again." Frankly, if I were part of the organization, I wouldn't invite him back.

Later, on his Twitter and with time to cool off, he tried to justify himself by saying that his shoulder was bothering him and that he was still recovering from the flu. Another sign that there is no one helping him manage his image and how to address the public. 

Obviously, no one knows what's going on inside. Only he and his people know, but from the outside, we see a young man adrift, with strange attitudes, questionable behavior, and untapped talent.

Personally, I have greatly enjoyed watching Holger's best version on a tennis court. The best Rune would be a great addition to the circuit, but due to actions like this, combined with what he has been carrying for the past two years, one ends up losing faith in him. Surely, many have experienced this. Hopefully, he will make an effort to help restore that faith.
 

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Cuando uno pierde la fe en Rune