He beat Djokovic in a final, started training with Agassi, and set his sights on Alcaraz and Sinner

There’s little doubt anymore: the generation of players born in the 2000s has pulled ahead of the group that came up in the 1990s. The reason is simple — today’s 30-year-olds entered the tour during the absolute dominance of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, while the under-25 group turned pro as the Big Three began winding down their reign.

Among this younger wave, Holger Rune remains one of the most intriguing names — a player who once looked destined to join Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in forming the “next Big Three,” but who now finds himself fighting to re-establish that status.

Born in Denmark on April 29, 2003, Rune turned professional in 2020 and quickly became one of the standouts of his class. While Alcaraz and Sinner have surged ahead in titles and ranking, Rune has already lifted five ATP trophies — including the 2022 Paris Masters, where he stunned Novak Djokovic in the final, and the 2023 Barcelona Open, where he defeated Alcaraz in the championship match.

Currently ranked No. 9 in the world, Rune is looking to rebound from a recent dip in form, highlighted by a first-round exit at Wimbledon. His immediate target: a strong North American hard-court swing leading into the US Open. He’s playing the Masters 1000 event in Toronto, and is scheduled to play the same event in Cincinnati.

Holger Rune of Denmark stretches for a ball against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard of France during the National Bank Open in Toronto. (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

A new partnership with Andre Agassi

Rune recently confirmed he has started working with American tennis legend Andre Agassi, a move that could prove pivotal as he chases a return to the top 5. “I reached out to him some months ago,” Rune told me during a Media Day interview, via Tennis.com. “He’s an amazing man, first of all, and he’s very wise, as well. He sees the game in a unique way that I’ve never experienced before”.

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“I thought now was a good moment to reach out to Agassi because my base is back and I’m playing well again,” he continued. “When you’re changing coaches a lot, you don’t play as well because you’re not following one opinion or a single structure. I thought this was the right time to get some extra input…It’s not anything magic, but he obviously had some very wise words I can use”.

Eyeing Alcaraz and Sinner

Rune also addressed his main rivals, Alcaraz and Sinner — both of whom he grew up competing against in junior tennis — and made it clear he doesn’t view the gap as insurmountable.

“I think [the gap] is very distant for some, but for some others, they’re not that far away,” Rune noted. “I’m going include myself when I say we’re not that far away. I see my high end of tennis to be really, really high, so I just have to lift the button, really, and stay more consistent to win more matches. I do need to stop feeling like I need to play spectacular tennis all the time to beat them”.

“It obviously does help my confidence to know I’ve shown a level that can beat Carlos, Jannik, and Novak. That helps the belief, of course. On the other hand, there’s a difference between just beating them and making into those big finals week in, week out. That’s one of my goals now,” he concluded.