After parting company with Boris Becker and Severin Luthi, Holger Rune has appointed his fellow countryman Kenneth Carlsen as his new coach. Carlsen, a 50-year-old Dane, was once ranked as high as 41 in the world and has won three ATP titles from seven finals. He finished the 1992 season in the top-70 and achieved a similar ranking 13 years later before eventually retiring from professional tennis in 2007.
Unlike Becker and Luthi, who were unable to travel with Rune on a regular basis, Carlsen will work with his compatriot on a full-time basis and will remain part of the coaching staff even if Holger decides to bring in additional personnel in the future. Rune found himself in a difficult position after losing two high-profile coaches within a week and turned to a well-known figure whom he trusts.
Rune teamed up with Becker in Paris and Turin at the end of 2023 before adding Luthi to his team in December. However, Becker did not accompany the Dane to Australia at the end of that year, leading to concerns about the future of their partnership. Luthi stepped in and Holger began the new season in Brisbane.
Rune defeated four opponents on his way to reaching the final, where he faced Grigor Dimitrov. Unfortunately, he suffered a 7-6, 6-4 defeat in a match that lasted two hours and 16 minutes. Dimitrov, the more experienced player, performed better in the crucial moments, serving at a 70% success rate and dominating Rune on his second serve. The Bulgarian saved all three break points he faced and kept the pressure on Holger, who offered him nine opportunities to break serve.
Despite a valiant effort, Rune was only able to defend eight of those break points. He lost a tightly contested first set and sealed his fate after being broken once in the second set. However, Holger started the Australian Open strongly, defeating Yoshihito Nishioka in a grueling three-hour and 25-minute match. The Dane won 6-2, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4.
Nishioka stayed in contention after losing the first set and had a chance to turn the match in his favor in the third set. However, Rune broke early in the fourth set and served well to secure the victory, despite losing his serve once and breaking Nishioka’s serve on three occasions. Unfortunately, Holger’s campaign came to an end in the second round against world no. 122 Arthur Cazaux. He lost 7-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Cazaux outperformed his higher-ranked opponent, hitting 18 aces and 50 winners to dictate the pace of the match. Despite dealing with minor knee issues, Rune fought hard but was broken three times, ultimately resulting in an early exit from the tournament.
Holger returned to Europe and received a special invitation for the ATP 250 tournament in Montpellier. The young player faced Pablo Llamas Ruiz in the second round and secured a 7-5, 6-2 victory, dominating the first set and overpowering his opponent in the second set.
Rune unleashed 17 powerful serves against Michael Mmoh in a 7-6, 6-4 quarter-final triumph. The Danish player only suffered one service break while managing to break Mmoh’s serve twice, sealing the win in straight sets. Unfortunately, Holger suffered an arm injury during his semi-final match against Borna Coric, trailing 6-3, 4-1 and ultimately retiring from the match.
Rune recently participated in the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in Oslo and is set to compete again on Wednesday at the prestigious ATP 500 event in Rotterdam. “Kenneth and I have a long-standing relationship and know each other very well. I am thrilled to have him as a permanent member of my coaching team,” stated Holger Rune. He further expressed his confidence in Kenneth’s coaching abilities and emphasized his comfort on the court with him.
According to the Source tennisworldusa.org