Holger Rune Breaks Silence on his Collaboration with Andre Agassi in Washington

Holger Rune gave some insights about his collaboration with Andre Agassi ahead of his Canadian Open run.

Holger Rune Breaks Silence on his Collaboration with Andre Agassi in Washington

Andre Agassi and Holger Rune (image via X/Tennis World USA)

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Holger Rune caught headlines earlier this month when he collaborated with eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi ahead of the Mubadala Citi DC Open. The American tennis legend mentored him for a few practice sessions. Although the Dane withdrew from the ATP 500 tournament due to back pain, he now seems ready to play at the Canadian Open.

He has also made an addition to his team by recently hiring fitness coach Marco Panichi. Panichi is well known for the long-time partnership he had with Novak Djokovic, which ended in 2024. Ahead of his Toronto campaign, the World No. 9 spoke to Ziggo Sports about working with Agassi and how the mentorship helped him:

“He gives very good advice on how to return, he was an incredible returner, as I am too, so we can share information and that’s great. His passion for tennis is spectacular. It’s wonderful to meet people who love tennis as much as I do. I think it’s very important to share your thoughts, and Agassi knows how to listen and gives very good advice. I am very grateful to have spent these days with him…”

At the Canadian Open, where Rune is seeded fifth, Agassi had won three titles, with two of them being consecutive. The withdrawal of four top-six players from the tournament this year, along with other absences has changed the draw of this event significantly. Rune will not meet a top 10 ranked player until the quarterfinal. He will be hoping to capitalize on this opportunity to secure a second Masters 1000 title. Speaking about his time with Agassi, Rune further added:

What he tried to explain to me is that he wanted my tennis to be a bit slower and he thinks I can do things much easier with my power and quality in my shots and believes I should do more things than I usually do. Essentially, it’s about finding balance, and that’s what we have been working on. He surprised me with some things he explained in training sessions and also about how to play tiebreaks. I won’t share the secrets he gave me, but I was amazed by his perspective on tennis and playing.

Rune will be looking to make a comeback with this tournament after a shocking first round exit at Wimbledon to Nicolas Jarry. In Toronto, Rune will face Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the opening round. They last met on hard court at the 2024 Basel semifinal, where the Frenchman defeated Rune in straight sets and went on to win the tournament, defeating Ben Shelton in the final.

Holger Rune’s 2025 season

Holger Rune had a decent start to the season before the opening round exit at Wimbledon. At the Indian Wells, where he lost to Jack Draper. This marked Rune’s fourth Masters 1000 final. He later clinched the Barcelona Open title against Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets, winning his first ATP 500 title.

Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune (2)
Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz)

With this victory, Rune ended a title drought of over two years and returned to the top 10 rankings after a year. In the North American hard court swing, he will be looking to regain the momentum he gained earlier this year. He will be looking to defend 550 points throughout this swing.

Also Read: Stefanos Tsitsipas Explains Difficult Relationship with Father As Coach After Reunion and Goran Ivanisevic Split