Archive of posts tagged Holger Rune

Holger Rune joins Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner in exclusive 'Club 50'

Posted by on

6 Kings Slam

Holger Rune celebrated a milestone victory in Cincinnati. The young Dane ousted Roman Safiullin 7-5, 7-6 in an hour and 58 minutes in the second round, prevailing and making a winning start.

Holger celebrated his 50th Masters 1000 victory, becoming the fourth player born in 2000 or later to achieve that. Rune joined Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Felix Auger-Aliassime in the exclusive 'Club 50.'

The Dane claimed his first Masters 1000 win in Indian Wells three and a half years ago. He claimed the Paris Masters crown later that season following five straight top-10 triumphs!

Holger was the finalist in Monte Carlo and Rome in the spring of 2023, and his most recent Masters 1000 final came in Indian Wells this March. The youngster will seek his fifth Masters 1000 final in Cincinnati.

The 7th seed had to dig deep in his first test in Ohio. He took six points more than Safiullin and prevailed in the decisive moments to avoid a decider. Rune lost serve two times and provided three return games from five chances.

They sprayed over 70 unforced errors, and the Dane reduced the number of errors. Holger forged the advantage in service winners but lost in from the baseline. He had the upper hand in the shortest exchanges, and Roman reduced the gap in the mid-range ones.

Holger Rune, Cincinnati 2025

Holger Rune, Cincinnati 2025© Stream screenshot

 

They traded breaks in the middle of the opening set. The Dane provided another break in game nine and served for the set at 5-4. Rune wasted two set points and lost serve. 

However, he kept his composure and closed the opener with another break at 5-5 and a hold in game 12. The second set was much more fluid, with no break chances and 12 comfortable holds. 

Rune grabbed two mini-breaks for a 5-2 advantage. Roman erased the deficit with a mini-break in the tenth point, locking the result at 5-5. Still, Holger claimed a decisive point on the return at 6-5, sealing the deal and making a winning start.

Alcaraz to Lead Spanish Davis Cup Squad

Posted by on

By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, August 8, 2025
Photo credit: Angel Martinez/Getty for ITF

Reigning Roland Garros champion Carlos Alcaraz aims to restore the roar to the Spanish Davis Cup team.

Captain David Ferrer has named Alcaraz, Washington, DC finalist Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martinez to the Spanish squad that will host Denmark in the Davis Cup second round qualifier set for September 13-14th at the Puente Romano Tennis Club in Marbella, Spain.

Alejandro Davidovich Fokina

“I am very happy with the commitment that the players have made and with the enthusiasm that the team has to be able to overcome Denmark, which we already know is going to be a tough with Holger Rune,” Ferrer said. “But we are going to face it in the best way.

“Alejandro has been very consistent, he is in the Top 20 of the race and Carlos comes from winning Roland Garros and making the finals of Wimbledon, so I am very excited that they can be with us.”

The tie will be contested on outdoor red clay in Marbella.

World No. 2 Alcaraz, who owns a 3-0 Davis Cup singles record, will make his first appearance since he defeated Tallon Griekspoor 7-6, 6-3 in the 2024 quarterfinals last November.

The 22-year-old Spaniard is riding a streak of 13 straight clay-court victories, capturing successive clay championships at Roland Garros and Rome. Alcaraz’s last clay-court loss came to Danish star Holger Rune 7-6(6), 6-2 in the Barcelona final in April.

Alexei Popyrin warns Alexander Zverev ahead of their clash in Toronto

Posted by on

Alexander Zverev

Alexei Popyrin has a very special feeling with the Canadian Open, which takes place in Toronto in this edition. The Australian ace surprised the world in Montreal last season, when he won the first Masters 1000 title of his career by beating Russian star Andrey Rublev in the final.

There is no doubt that the numerous absences among the top players have facilitated Alexei's run again this year, but it must be admitted that he is managing the pressure well and has reached the quarterfinals with full merit. The defending champion defeated both former world No.1 Daniil Medvedev and young Danish star Holger Rune, demonstrating remarkable mental strength even when the situation was not good for him.

Popyrin will face Zverev

His next opponent will be No.1 seed Alexander Zverev, who will compete for a spot in the semifinals in Ontario. The German champion has enormous pressure in this tournament, because most fans and insiders expect him to lift the trophy given the absences of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

However, Sascha will need to play his best tennis if he wants to defeat Popyrin in this tournament. During his last press conference, the Australian player confessed that he feels really comfortable in Canada: "I feel like I can play my best tennis here, even if at the beginning of the tournament I was quite nervous because I knew I had to defend the title I won last year. I'm playing without pressure now and my level is very high, which is why I'll face the next match with serenity and confidence.

I completely forgot about having to defend 1000 points, I just want to play and have fun. The conditions are favorable for my game, because the court is quite fast and gets even faster when it's hot. During the day it's harder to control the ball, but in the evening everything is perfect."

The match between Popyrin and Zverev could be very uncertain than expected.

Popyrin Stops Rune, Keeps Title Defense Hopes Alive in Toronto

Posted by on

Alexei Popyrin north of the US border? That’s a good thing for the 25-year-old Aussie, who rallied past Holger Rune on Saturday night in Toronto to stretch his winning streak in Canada to nine victories, 4-6 6-2 6-3.

After the match he signed the camera “I love Canada X 2”.

Tennis Express player gear
Tennis Express player gear

Last year’s champion in Montreal reached his second Masters quarterfinal of 2025, and his fourth overall as he took out the 22-year-old World No.9 with an inspired effort.

“I just feel comfortable on these courts, I think the surface is a little bit quicker,” Popyrin said. “I don’t know if it makes sense, but it lets me have a little bit more time on the court, because I hit my first aggressive shot and I can dictate from there.”

Popyrin hit 30 winners against 24 unforced errors; Rune hit 24 winners and 39 unforced.

Ranked 26 and seeded 18 in Toronto, Popyrin has now won consecutive matches against former Top-5 players.

The Aussie went 0 for 11 in break opportunities in the opening set, but converted three break points across the final two sets to level his lifetime head-to-head with Rune at one apiece.

“After the first set I was pissed,” Popyrin said. “But when I came back out to return again, it felt like I was in control of the match. I told myself to be aggressive on the next break point that I got, and from then on I felt quite comfortable.”

Popyrin, who toppled former World No.1 Daniil Medvedev in the third round, is into his first hard court quarterfinal since he claimed the title in Montreal last year, defeating Andrey Rublev in the final.

He will face either top-seeded Alexander Zverev or Francisco Cerundolo in the last eight.

Popyrin saved a pair of break points while serving at 3-1 in the third, after breaking in the previous game. He didn’t look back from there, winning 12 of the final 15 points and breaking Rune again for good measure in the final game.

Holger Rune shares his frustration after his loss in Toronto

Posted by on

Alexei Popyrin

There were huge expectations on Holger Rune in this edition of the Toronto Masters 1000, where the young Danish ace could benefit from the absence of several top players such as Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jack Draper. The former world number 4 had started his run well in Canada and seemed to be able to go far in this tournament, but was eliminated by Alexei Popyrin in the round of 16.

The winner of the 2022 Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 lost to a very dangerous player on this surface, who is capable of shining at the 'Canadian Open' considering that he lifted the trophy in Montreal a year ago, but Rune showed all his weaknesses once again.

The former Top 5 player had the chance to practice alongside a legend like Andre Agassi before the start of the North American tournaments, but ruled out that the American will follow him around the world as he already has a very busy schedule.

Rune lost again

The feeling is that Holger needs new stimuli at this stage of his career, which has entered a stagnant phase and there do not seem to be effective solutions for the moment. With the exception of excellent performances in Indian Wells (where he reached the final) and Barcelona (where he lifted the trophy), Rune's 2025 has not been satisfactory so far and his results in Grand Slam tournaments have been far below expectations.

During his latest press conference in Toronto, the Danish star confided that he was quite disappointed: "I didn't play my best tennis and it was a disappointing performance, there's not much more to add. I didn't express the level I wanted, I struggled with my serve and I didn't feel comfortable on court. I have to adopt better strategies during matches and select my shots in a better way. When I can make this improvement, then my results will improve."

Rune's next tournament will be the Cincinnati Masters 1000, scheduled for August 7-18.

Holger Rune sliding into Veronika Kudermetova DM mentioned during Russian's match

Posted by on

Alexei Popyrin

Holger Rune was mentioned during the Coco Gauff and Veronika Kudermetova Montreal match after a Tennis Channel commentator brought up the Russian tennis player's recent claim that the Dane slid into her Instagram DM. 

Prior to the start of the Canadian Open, one of the things that made the headlines in the tennis world was an interesting but also fun one – during a recent podcast appearance, 28-year-old Kudermetova shared that Rune tried shooting his shot with her. According to the 42nd-ranked WTA player, she only pointed out to the Dane that she was married. 

"Rune recently texted me. I told him, 'Boy, I'm probably too old for you. If you looked at my Instagram, you’d see I have a husband.' He replied, 'Oh, sorry.' After that, he stopped saying hi to me," the Russian tennis player said.

A commentator brings up Kudermetova's Rune revelation live on air

On Thursday, the world No. 42 took on Gauff in the Montreal third round. And right at the start of the second game, one Tennis Channel commentator brought up the news that recently made all the headlines. 

“I don’t know if you heard about this tea… not tennis related, but there was news that Holger Rune apparently texted Kudermetova, and she said she was too old for him and married," a Tennis Channel commentator told her colleague on air. 

Unfortunately for the Russian, what looked like a big day for her ended in disappointment after she allowed Gauff to come back from a set and a break down and win 4-6 7-5 6-2. 

Meanwhile, the ninth-ranked Dane has been through to the Toronto Masters round-of-16, where he plays Alexei Popyrin.

Italian paper claims Jannik Sinner fired Marco Panichi because he 'talked too much'

Posted by on

Carlos Alcaraz

An Italian newspaper is claiming that Jannik Sinner fired Marco Panichi because he was "talking too much" and revealed some details that the world No. 1 didn't want to go public. 

Just days before the start of Wimbledon, the Italian tennis star stunned the entire tennis world when he announced that fitness coach Panichi and physio Ulises Badio were no longer a part of his team. It came as a big surprise – not only because of the move itself, but also because of the timing of it.

Now, Corriere della Sera reports that Sinner wasn't happy with one interview given by Panichi after his painful French Open final loss, when he blew a two-set lead and three championship points against Carlos Alcaraz. In the interview, the fitness coach said that the 23-year-old "cried for 15 minutes afterward in the locker room" and also wasn't happy with the fact that the French Open crowd supported more Alcaraz.

According to the report, Sinner didn't like that all. Also, it was mentioned that Badio – who came with Panichi in the same package – was "a collateral damage."

What Sinner said after splitting with Panichi?

During his pre-tournament presser at Wimbledon, the Italian – who ended up winning it all – insisted that "nothing crazy happened" with Panichi that caused the split. 

“There’s not one specific thing. Nothing crazy happened. That’s for sure not. As I said, we made some great work. Look, in this sport, things can happen and there is nothing incredible, no?” he said at the time.

Since then, Sinner has made a big move and returned Umberto Ferrara to his team – the same fitness coach that he fired after his doping case came to light. 

When it comes to fitness coach, he also didn't wait too long to find a new job as he is now a part of Holger Rune's team.

Holger Rune teases Novak Djokovic for a funny reason

Posted by on

2028 Olympics

Novak Djokovic is a living legend of this sport and his ability to push his own limits is amazing, considering that he has already won everything a top-level tennis player can dream of. The former world No.1 also achieved the last goal of his endless career at the Paris Olympics a year ago, when he shocked fans around the planet by winning the gold medal on his last attempt (although he has repeatedly stated that he also wants to participate in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, when he will be 41 years old).

After that amazing triumph, the Serbian veteran tried to win his 25th Major title but has not succeeded until now. The 38-year-old from Belgrade has reached the semifinals in all three Grand Slam tournaments that have been played this year, proving that he is still superior to most opponents, but the two current leaders of the men's tour – Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz – have no intention of leaving him room again.

Djokovic is on vacation now

After being overwhelmed by Sinner in the semi-final of the Wimbledon Championships a couple of weeks ago, the 24-time Grand Slam champion has allowed himself a few days to relax in Croatia and then will begin preparing for the Cincinnati Masters 1000.

Nole will not play the Canadian Open this year either, preferring to recharge his batteries ahead of the US Open scheduled in New York at the end of the summer. As chance would have it, Novak won his latest Major title in New York two years ago, when he defeated Russian ace Daniil Medvedev in the final. It seems like much more time has passed, given that the hierarchies of men's tennis have changed profoundly in this period of time.

Meanwhile, young Danish star Holger Rune gave a nice interview in which he was asked who is the player who arrives late most often. The world number 9 chose Djokovic.

Rune Working with Andre Agassi Ahead of Citi Open

Posted by on

The pair will reportedly spend three days together, according to a report by Stephanie Myles. Andre Agassi

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday July 19, 2025

Holger Rune and Andre Agassi are spending some quality time together at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C.

Tennis Express

According to Stephanie Myles of Open Court, who shot the below video, the pair are to spend three days together prepping for the ATP 500 event.

According to Myles, the pair will spend three days together in the hopes that Rune can gain some insight from the eight-time Slam champion

The Dane has had both good and bad moments this season. Famously, he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the Barcelona final. But he's only 22-14 on the season with the one title. He reached the round of 16 at the Australian Open and Roland-Garros, but lost in the first round at Wimbledon.

Agassi has been on the scene a bit in recent months, commentating for TNT at Roland-Garros for four days, and appearing on the Andy Roddick First Serve Podcast for an in-depth interview.

French Open 2025 Day Eight Recap

Posted by on

The second Sunday of Roland Garros 2025 delivered another batch of high-quality matches, as the men’s singles draw narrowed to its final eight. Lorenzo Musetti continued his strong clay form with a composed win over Holger Rune under the lights, Carlos Alcaraz notched his 100th tour-level clay victory in a thrilling four-set battle against Ben …