Boris Becker and Holger Rune have ended their partnership after collaborating for a few tournaments. Becker was appointed as Rune’s coach in October and they worked together for three and a half months. They joined forces at two significant events in 2023, starting in Paris and then at the ATP Finals in Turin. However, Becker did not accompany Rune to Brisbane and Melbourne, instead offering public advice from Europe, which felt inappropriate.
Becker has decided not to accompany Rune to many events this year, choosing to step down and focus on other professional and personal matters. This news comes shortly after Rune lost another coach, Severin Luthi, who resigned after working with the young Dane at the Australian Open.
Kenneth Carlsen remains part of Rune’s coaching staff, but it is likely that Rune’s mother, Aneke, will be making the important decisions. Rune currently has a 7-3 record in 2024, reaching the final in Brisbane before experiencing setbacks in Melbourne and Montpellier. It is worth noting that Rune had previously worked with high-profile coach Patrick Mouratoglou until his early exit from the US Open last year.
After a brief period with Lars Christensen, Rune’s team brought in Becker and Luthi, but both coaches have now departed just a few weeks into the year. Rune began the season in Brisbane, reaching the final but ultimately finishing as the runner-up after losing to Grigor Dimitrov in a close match.
Following his loss at the Australian Open, where he was defeated by Arthur Cazaux, ranked 122nd in the world, Rune experienced knee pain and struggled to perform at his best against a determined opponent. Cazaux served 18 aces and hit 50 winners, while also committing 30 unforced errors. Despite winning the third set, Rune was broken three times and ultimately lost the match.
In an effort to bounce back, Rune quickly requested a wild card entry into the ATP 250 event in Montpellier, where he had also competed the previous year. He defeated Pablo Llamas Ruiz in the second round and advanced to the quarter-finals. However, he was forced to retire in the semi-finals against Borna Coric due to an arm injury.
If Rune recovers, he will be competing as the third seed in next week’s ATP 500 event in Rotterdam, alongside Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev.