Holger Rune, currently World No. 12, has found his way back to the biggest tennis stages, after a few difficult months. While he couldn’t beat Jack Draper at the 2025 Indian Wells final, the Danish star is close to coming back to the Top 10. As he moves up through the ranks, we revisit his strong stance on the “greatest of all time” debate between Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Unlike some of his peers, who have a clear favorite, the 21-year-old star has refused to entertain the debate between the Big Three. “In my opinion, the debate is foolish. We are talking about three tremendous players in each of their ways. A huge inspiration to all three for the generations below,” Holger Rune told reporters in June 2023 (via Lobe and Smash).
In 2022, he told Express Sports: “I think nothing about this to be honest. I hate the GOAT discussion […] Because who won the most titles, who won the most Grand Slams, who was No 1 for the longest time. I mean all these guys are incredible. They achieved something that is history making.”
In that sense, Rune said that the battles between Federer, Djokovic, Nadal and Andy Murray pushed the new generation forward. “It also pushes the younger generations to what’s possible,” he said. “I think players like Federer, Novak, Nadal, Murray showed us the extreme high level of tennis and this is what makes the young generation so good today.”
Despite his reluctance to choose a GOAT, Rune has revealed that Nadal and Federer were his idols growing up. According to his ATP Profile, the Spaniard was his first idol, “but when he moved to No. 2 in the rankings, it has been [Roger] Federer ever since.”
Holger Rune’s head-to-head vs the Big Three
While he never had the chance to play against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the Danish star has faced Novak Djokovic six times, winning two matches. One of them was the final of the Paris Masters in 2022, which was his first Masters 1000 title win.
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While they had a rivalry on court, Rune has also shared that Djokovic has given him advice in the past. “He has taught me a lot. He has always been very nice to me. I remember that we trained here about five years ago before I started playing Challengers, and he was very interested, asking questions, giving me advice, and also opening up about what his career was like. For such a young player, that means a lot,” he told Punto de Break in 2024.
Rune made his top-10 debut by winning the Paris Masters in 2022, becoming the first player in ATP history (since rankings began in 1973) to defeat five top-10 opponents in a single event outside of the ATP Finals. His career-high ranking reached World No. 4. This season, if he continues his good results, he has an opportunity to return to the Top 10.
