Holger Rune - This time champion without restrictions
At his first tour championship in Munich, Holger Rune was also lucky. In Stockholm, on the other hand, the 19-year-old Dane put on a really big show.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Oct 24, 2022, 12:00 am
Patrick Mouratoglou may have wobbled for a moment as to where he should orientate himself on yesterday's final Sunday in Stockholm: wasn't he a guest in Stefanos Tsitsipas' clan for years, who of course also trains regularly at his academy in southern France? However, it turned out to be Holger Rune, whose coaching team will support Mouratoglou until the end of the season.
At least that's the current plan. Because if Simona Halep's suspension for a doping offense should remain in place, Mouratoglou would suddenly have many weeks off in his calendar. And after winning the tournament alongside Rune in Stockholm, that would certainly be a valid alternative.
Zverev caught cold
So the Dane struck for the second time on the ATP tour, the premiere was in Munich in the spring. There - something like that is part of it for most players - Holger Rune was lucky. In lap two he caught Alexander Zverev freezing in very Scandinavian temperatures. In the semifinals, Oscar Otte dragged himself across the center court at the MTTC Iphitos, quite ill. And in the final, Botic van de Zandschulp had to retire after just seven games.
Now in Stockholm there are no restrictive comments on Holger Rune's championship. At the start he won against Thiago Monteiro, who is more likely to be on clay, but only qualified for the main draw yesterday in Vienna. Cristian Garin was the next victim of Runes, Cameron Norrie had to believe it in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, Rune reached his limits against Alex de Minaur, which wasn't necessary in the final against Tsitsipas.
Rune as a favorite to Milan
As of today, Holger Rune is listed among the 25 best players in the world for the first time. Sooner or later, attentive observers will have located it there anyway. Even if Rune went through a deep valley in the summer of 2022: After his victory in the round of 16 of the French Open against Tsitsipas, he suffered six first-round defeats in a row. Rune was only able to write again in Washington, albeit “only” against a listless Benoit Paire, as is so often the case.
Of course, such a bear market can always come, Rune has named for Basel and Paris-Bercy this year, and then he will probably be the favorite in the #NextGen bash in Milan alongside Naples champion Lorenzo Musetti. Perhaps the arrival of Patrick Mouratoglou is just the piece of the puzzle that will ensure even more consistency in the game of the teenager from Gentofte.