H O L G E R R U N E
Interview } John Russo
Photographs by} John Russo
JR: Which retired player would you have loved to play? And why?
HR: Roger Federer . I practiced with him at the Nitto finals in 2019 but never played a match against him. He is the most elegant player I have ever seen on a tennis court so I think I would be very inspired by playing against him.
JR: Who do you think is the greatest player of all time in Tennis?
HR: This question is impossible to answer for me. Since I started becoming a fan of specific things in various players , for me every player have something special you can learn from and admire .
Looking at number of wins for sure Novak, Rafa and Roger are the record holders and in that sense the greatest .
JR: Of all the great women tennis players, both past and present, who do you think would be the hardest to play?
HR: The competition would be unfair so I cannot answer this question. I have practiced with Serena . Love her clean strokes
JR: What is your dream in tennis?
HR: I dream big. Since I was 6 years old I wanted to become the best player in the world and win multiple grand slams and the Olympics . This dream hasn’t changed .
JR: : If you could end one rule in tennis what would it be and why?
HR: I think for the future there will have to be changes in order to keep the younger audience hot and for tv. Maybe shorter matches by cutting away one serve or do no add on 40 all points, net serve could count as a serve, shorter breaks between points or something like that. And also make the spectators somehow feel closer to the players . I remember watching the first edition of Next-Gen and compared to the normal ATP matches I felt so close to the players . I could really feel the nerve much more and this was exciting.
JR: You are working with one of, if not the greatest tennis coach in the world, Patrick Mouratoglou. How important is it to have a coach who you trust and respect?
HR: It’s very important. I worked with my Danish coach Lars since I was 6 and Patrick since I was 13 when I started at the academy . Even though I only have Patrick at matches while Simona is away it’s a source I have used always. And will continue to do so.
To learn more about Holger, follow him @holgerrune