Holger Rune shares the secrets that helped him win against tennis superstar – Novak Djokovic.
In the final episode of the Adavantage Connors podcast, Danish tennis player Holger Rune talked about his matches with Djokovic and the psychology he tries to exploit in certain contexts.
“When I go out on the field, I firmly believe in my abilities and what I can do. I always respect my opponents but never feel fear. When people told me I had to play against someone who had won 24 Grand Slam tournaments. I know it’s difficult, but if I think I can’t win, I’ve already lost from the beginning.”
The world number 8 tennis player frankly said that he did not allow himself to have fearful thoughts when facing Djokovic. In sports, anything can happen. Holger Rune is aware of this and always plays hard regardless of whether the opponent is the best.
Rune always finds a way to put Djokovic in a difficult position in the matches they have faced. Since his Grand Slam debut at the US Open in 2021, Rune has shown that he knows how to create problems for the Serbian champion.
At that time, despite losing, Rune still won the second set in a tense tie-break series. After that, this 20-year-old player recorded 2 consecutive victories against Nole. The first time at the ATP Masters 1000 final in Paris in 2022, the second time at Internazionali BNL d”Italia this year.
However, the last two encounters helped Djokovic take the lead in terms of head-to-head performance. The Serbian overcame Rune in two evenly matched matches in the final stages of 2023, dominating the Paris Masters and ATP Finals.
Rune and Djokovic will return to the court for the upcoming 2024 tennis season, with careful preparations for the first Grand Slam of the year in Australia.
