In a strategic move aimed at reigniting his 2024 campaign, World No. 8 Holger Rune has partnered with tennis legend Andre Agassi for a three-day training block in Washington D.C. The collaboration took place just before the start of the Mubadala Citi DC Open, a critical event in the US summer hard-court swing.
What began with a text message and progressed into a phone call culminated in a unique opportunity for the 22-year-old Dane to train under the guidance of the two-time US Open champion. Agassi, a former World No. 1 and winner of five titles at the very same venue, shared his insights and expertise with Rune at a pivotal moment in the season.
“It was nice. We’ve been in touch for a while and we did a couple of days together here in Washington, where he was helping me with a few things, giving his opinion,” Rune said.
“It was really a big pleasure. He’s a very, very wise man. I’ve never met a guy who sees the game this way.”
A Brief But Impactful Partnership
Rune, who is looking to find consistency following a season of highs and lows, said the brief training stint was extremely valuable.
“Obviously he had an amazing return himself and I also return well and he had a few tips there and how I can be slightly better there and then in general about the game,” he said.
“It was a really short period but definitely he gave me an insight of where he sees me in the future, where he sees me now and obviously there’s a lot of things to improve. He helped me to get my focus and my eyes on the right things, together with my coach Lars [Christensen]. It was really cool to spend some days with him.
“I’ve watched a lot of him on YouTube and his style and the way of playing was amazing. His career speaks for itself.”
Future Collaboration on the Cards?
When asked whether the partnership with Agassi might continue, Rune didn’t rule out the possibility. “He’s a great man, so I would definitely like that.”
Rune’s DC Open campaign will begin against either Frenchman Alexandre Muller or a qualifier. The Danish star is currently 13th in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin and has had a mixed 2024 season, posting a 22-14 win-loss record through Wimbledon. His most notable victories include defeating Carlos Alcaraz to win the ATP 500 in Barcelona and reaching the ATP Masters 1000 final in Indian Wells, where he lost to Jack Draper.
However, inconsistency has plagued his season, with six opening-round exits, including a five-set loss to Nicolas Jarry at Wimbledon. “I’ve had a little bit of an up-and-down year,” Rune admitted. “I’ve had some good weeks, some bad weeks and that’s what I’m trying to change. I’m thankful to be here in Washington to be able to start my US swing earlier to get matches and to get the rhythm and hopefully do some damage.
“I’m already thinking about Turin with the big weeks coming ahead. It’s a golden swing for me in which I don’t have a lot of points to defend.”
Closing the Gap with Alcaraz and Sinner
With a 161-99 career record according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Rune has already shown he can go toe-to-toe with the game’s best. He has a 2-2 Lexus ATP Head2Head record with Carlos Alcaraz and a 2-3 record against Jannik Sinner. Despite this, he has yet to reach a Grand Slam final — something his peers have already achieved.
“There is definitely a gap at the moment,” he said. “Obviously there are players including myself that can beat them. But it’s all about being in those Grand Slam finals and those Masters 1000 finals playing against them and I think there is space for one more person.”
Looking Ahead to a Strong Finish
Rune’s most memorable career win came at the 2022 Rolex Paris Masters, where he defeated five Top 10 players en route to the title and earned a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals. Since then, he’s added two more titles — Munich in 2023 and Barcelona this year.
Now, with the support of his long-time coach Lars Christensen and insights from a tennis great like Andre Agassi, Holger Rune looks to capitalize on the upcoming North American hard-court stretch and push towards Turin qualification.
As the Mubadala Citi DC Open kicks off, all eyes will be on Rune — not just to see if he advances, but to gauge how much of the Agassi influence takes shape on court.
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