The Australian tennis legend addresses the speculation surrounding his potential coaching role for Holger Rune following Boris Becker’s departure from the young Danish player.
Images of Holger Rune and Rennae Stubbs (via IMAGO)
Currently ranked 7th in the world, Rune has had a tumultuous start to the 2024 season. He began his season at the tournament where he finished as the runner-up. After a hard-fought journey to the finals, the Dane was defeated by in the championship match.
He then participated in the competition where he suffered an early exit, losing in the second round to Frenchman in a surprising upset at the Grand Slam event.
Following his departure from Melbourne Park, Rune returned to the Tour in Montpellier and made it to the semifinals. However, he was forced to retire in the middle of the second set against due to a right arm injury.
Shortly after his exit, he announced his split from coach , having already ended his partnership with after the Australian Open. In response to this news, his former coach took to her X (formerly Twitter) account to mention that she now has some free time.
@holgerrune2003 I have some time available.
Although she is currently not active on the Tour, her tweet was somewhat cryptic. It remains unclear whether she offered to become Rune’s new coach or invited him for an interview on her podcast, where she infamously referred to him as “punchable” due to his behavior on the court.
@rennaestubbs calling @holgerrune2003 “punchable” is like me calling someone overweight. She is the most unpleasant person I have ever encountered. A complete bully. And for the record, yes, there is someone who likes this kid – me!
However, despite the growing speculation about Stubbs becoming Rune’s coach, she made it clear that no such arrangement has been made between them. At the moment, the official ATP website does not mention Rune’s coach, so it is possible that his mother Aneke might temporarily take charge.
Amidst the off-court drama surrounding him, the young Dane will be focused on preparing for his upcoming tournament in the Netherlands. He is the third seed at the ATP-500 event in Rotterdam, with being the top seed and following as the second seed.
Rune will begin his campaign against Russia’s in the first round. This will be their second encounter, as they previously faced each other in the semifinals in Brisbane earlier this year.
Rune emerged victorious with a score of 6-4, 7-6(0), and he will aim to repeat this result and extend his lead against Roman. Their match is scheduled for tomorrow, on February 14th.
According to the Source firstsportz.com