Boris Becker confirmed on Thursday that he is the new coach of Holger Rune with the two working together until at least the end of this season.
Speculation of a collaboration between the two started when they were spotted together in Monaco. At the time Rune’s manager and mother Aneke told Ekstra Bladet that Becker was brought in to help support the tennis player as his previous coach (Lars Christensen) was in Denmark. It has now been confirmed that Christensen is no longer a member of the team.
Becker joins Rune at a time when the world No.6 has been struggling for form on the Tour. He has won only one out of his last 10 matches played with his latest defeat being to Memoir Kecmanovic at the Swedish Open on Wednesday. The Dane is currently in the final qualifying position for the ATP Finals but has a series of points to defend at the Paris Masters where he is the reigning champion.
“I can confirm that I am Holger Rune’s coach,” Becker told Eurosport Germany’s Das Gelbe vom Ball 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. “
The appointment is Becker’s first coaching role since being released from prison last year. He was originally sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for hiding assets from authorities after being declared bankrupt. However, he was released after eight months and deported from the UK.
Becker is a former world No.1 player who won six Grand Slam titles during his career. He also coached Novak Djokovic between 2013 and 2016. During those three years, the Serbian won six majors and 14 Masters 1000 titles under his guidance.
“I met Holger when he was 15, 16 years old. That was at the ATP Finals, when I was still coaching Novak Djokovic. Holger was our training partner. That’s how long I’ve known him and his mother. We have always stayed in conversation. And now the question came: ‘Can you help me?’ And my answer was: ‘Yes, let me visit you in Monte-Carlo.’ He then talked about the rest of the year. That was okay with me and I freed up time for Basel, Paris and, if we make it, Turin.” Becker explained.
“After that, we will sit down and think about whether the tournaments were successful, whether he enjoyed it, whether I liked it. We’ll now take on these three tournaments. After that, we’ll decide whether the cooperation has a future and whether we’ll go into 2024 together.” He added.
The 55-year-old describes Rune as a ‘rough diamond that needs polishing.’ Shedding light on what he hopes to bring to the team, Becker hints that changes to Rune’s scheduling might be needed to improve his overall performance.
“My ambition is to find the best Holger Rune,” he said.
“To do that, the tournament schedule has to fit. If he plays every week, he will eventually get tired.’
“That’s why I have to have a big say in this, according to the motto: ‘Here we have to insert a training week, here we have to regenerate, and maybe you go on holiday with your girlfriend for 10 days’. That is part of the planning, because in the end, I am jointly responsible for the success.”
Despite his appointment, Becker states that he is not the most important person on the team. Instead, he says that it is Rune’s mother plays a pivotal role and nothing would work without her.
Rune is set to return to action next week at the Swiss Indoors in Basel.
