By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Thursday, October 19, 2023
Boris Becker knows all about reclamation projects.
Hall of Famer Becker aims to help Holger Rune rebuild his results—and confidence taking over as the talented Dane's coach.
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In an interview with Eurosport Germany's podcast Becker confirmed he will return to tennis coaching Rune beginning next week at the Swiss Indoors Basel.
"I can confirm that I am Holger Rune's coach," Becker told Eurosport Germany's podcast. "It makes me a little proud that he asked me. The contact has existed for a long time. Now it was a very good fit.
"My calendar allows it and I have always been interested in Holger because he is on the tennis court with so much commitment and temperament. Holger then invited me to a training week in Monte-Carlo. I also had a long chat there with his mother Aneke and his performance coach Lapo Becherini.
"The three of us are responsible for Holger from now on. Unfortunately, I can't be at the tournament in Stockholm this week because of previously arranged appointments."
It's an intriguing pairing between two emotive talents both on the comeback trail at disparate points in their careers.
Calling in Becker at this point in the season may seem like a tennis 911 call, but Rune is desperate to stop his summer-into-fall spiral that has seen him lose eight of his last nine matches since his Wimbledon quarterfinal defeat to Carlos Alcaraz.
Former world No. 1 Becker says his mission statement is clear: Stop this slide, stabilize Rune and help the 20-year-old Dane qualify for the year-end ATP Finals in Turin.
"But I will be there in Basel at the latest, and afterwards, I will play Paris-Bercy with Holger and hopefully help him to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin," Becker told Eurosport German's podcast. "That is the big goal and that is the task."
Becker can get to work immediately. Rune's free-fall continued yesterday as Miomir Kecmanovic snapped an 11-match losing streak against Top 10 opponents toppling the sixth-ranked Rune, 7-6(3), 6-2, in Stockholm.
Rune needs help and clearly believes Becker can deliver it.
Tennis fans recall Becker's successful partnership with Novak Djokovic.
Becker coached Djokovic to six Grand Slam titles in a partnership that began in December, 2013 and lasted three years.
In Rune's case this is a critical stage of the season, not only to stop his losing slide, but do it before he faces the immense pressure of defending 1,000 ranking points and his title at the Rolex Paris Masters Indoors later this month.
The burden of a bulls-eye on his back in Paris is compounded by the fact Rune hears the footsteps of players like Shanghai champion Hubert Hurkacz, Tommy Paul and Alex de Minaur all making a push toward the Top 10.
For those reasons, Becker believes he can most immediately contribute by sharpening Rune's focus and mental match management skills. Becker, who was an emotive champion on court and coached an emotional champion in Djokovic, said it's about Rune re-setting mentally, letting a bad point go and refocusing on the job at hand rather than barking at his box and his mom and letting negative emotion consume him.
"Holger is a rough diamond that needs polishing," Becker told Eurosport Germany. "I like his emotional outbursts. I have coached a player before, Novak Djokovic, who was sometimes not quite himself on the court, but that is allowed.
"The question is: how quickly do you find your way back into the match, are you focused again? In the end, it's not about sending your mother out of the stands, but winning the match. I love tennis and when one of the best 20-year-olds in the world asks me if I'd like to coach him... anyone who says no doesn't have much to do with the sport. "Of course, it's all about attitude, even if it's so easy to say that. But it is the main reason why tennis matches are won or lost."
In an electrifying Paris run last fall, Rune knocked off Stan Wawrinka, Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Novak Djokovic in succession to capture the Rolex Paris Masters Indoors.
Rune clearly has the skills and desire to beat the best, the question is can he repair his confidence and refine his game and handle the pressure this month presents?
In a sense, both Rune and Becker are on different comeback paths with the Wimbledon winner, who spent time in British prisons for financial imbroglio and failure to pay creditors and was ultimately booted out of Britain back to Germany.
Both are tremendous talents with something to prove and questions surrounding whether each can keep it together—Rune on court and Becker off court—to bring out the best in each other.
It should be a fascinating partnership to follow as Becker was a phenomenal indoor player in his prime and Rune's road to redemption comes beneath the historic roof of Basel and pressure cooker of Paris.
Photo credit: Holger Rune Instagram