Holger Rune: Great Expectations

Denmark’s most successful men’s tennis player, Holger Rune, will represent Team Europe for the first time in San Francisco, two years after his planned Laver Cup debut in Vancouver was derailed by a back injury. The well-rounded right-hander will seek to earn crucial points for the men in blue, who have their sights set on a sixth victory.

How it’s going

Rune, a former world No. 4, started the year strong. In January, he made a fourth-round appearance at the Australian Open, where he was one of two men to take a set off eventual champion Jannik Sinner.

In March, he reached the Indian Wells final, his best Masters 1000 result of the season to date. The self-professed fan of hard courts and clay courts made a seamless transition between surfaces and, in April, Rune lifted the fifth title of his career in Barcelona, posting a straight-sets upset over Carlos Alcaraz in the final. Rune reached the fourth round at Roland Garros, but as the eighth seed at Wimbledon, he fell in five sets to Nicolas Jarry in the first round. And at the US Open in Flushing Meadows last month, the 11th-seeded Dane suffered a five-set upset to Jan-Lennard Struff in the second round.

The appeal of Laver Cup

“[I’ve] talked to many of the players and they say it’s one of the most fun events to play in, a great event,” said Rune, naming Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas among those who have spoken effusively about the week.

“[For] many of them, it’s their favorite event — even more than the Grand Slams,” he said. “I have high expectations, but most of all I’m just going to really enjoy it.” Rune is excited about the opportunity to compete and to experience being part of the supportive Team Europe bench. “It’s not that often we get to play as a team, so I think that’s super cool,” he said. “I think I [will] really thrive in this environment. I can’t wait to play,” said Rune. “My plan [is] to bring a lot of energy and intensity.”

The Monte Carlo resident is keen to coach his teammates and receive feedback on his game. “I think all players have their unique way of seeing the matches and the technical side of the game … all of the players might have very good tips.”

“It’s just going to be really exciting to play together, to try to help each other [in] the best way possible, and hopefully perform [in] the best way possible also.”

Looking ahead to San Francisco

Rune is one of two Scandinavian players who will enter to thunderous applause under the lights at Chase Center alongside Laver Cup veteran Casper Ruud. The Norwegian owns a 6-2 singles win-loss record over the Dane, but in San Francisco, they’ll cheer each other’s success. “It’s nice to have someone from Scandinavia … Casper is a great player, so to have him on Team Europe is amazing,” said Rune. “It’s a very, very strong team,” said the right-hander.

Rune played doubles with Alcaraz as a junior and he’s hoping Captain Yannick Noah will reassemble that combination in San Francisco. “Has to be Carlos,” he said when asked to pick a doubles partner. “That could be pretty iconic to relive that moment again,” he said, recalling the pair’s path to the semifinals of the 2017 edition of Les Petit As, a prestigious junior tournament.

“Those [were] good memories and obviously we played each other many times, where we’re on the opposite side of the net, so now we can finally try to be on the same side, which is going to be pretty cool,” said Rune, who has a 2-2 head-to-head record against the six-time major champion. Rune said he’s looking forward to getting to know Noah, the 1983 Roland Garros champion. “I’ve heard he has amazing energy, so I think this is really, really good for this kind of format and for our team,” he said.

Under Captain Noah’s watchful eye, Rune will vie to earn career-first points for Team Europe, a quest he shares with 19-year-old Jakub Mensik and 23-year-old Flavio Cobolli, an alternate during Laver Cup Berlin 2024. “[We have] a lot of young great energy which is amazing,” he said. The average age of Team Europe is 23, compared to 25 on Team World. “It should be a lot of fun, and hopefully we can all play very well,” Rune said. “We’re confident.”

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