Holger Rune Impressed By Novak Djokovic’s Ex-Fitness Coach Marco Panichi Experience After Teaming up with Him

Holger Rune opened his Canadian Open campaign against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in Toronto, with a straight-set win.

Holger Rune Impressed By Novak Djokovic’s Ex-Fitness Coach Marco Panichi Experience After Teaming up with Him

Holger Rune and Marco Panichi (via X/Holger Rune News)

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Holger Rune has teamed up with Novak Djokovic’s ex-fitness coach, Marco Panichi, ahead of the second half of the season. The Danish star is seeking a different approach to his fitness levels compared to the first six months of the year. He revealed that he’s surprised by Panichi’s knowledge of fitness and tennis.

Panichi is one of the most experienced fitness coaches in the men’s circuit. The Italian, who’s a former two-time national long jump champion, coached Djokovic before recently joining Jannik Sinner‘s team. And, his partnership with Sinner only lasted nine months as he was appointed the World No.1 fitness coach in September after the controversial doping scandal, which forced him to split with Umberto Ferrara and Giacomo Naldi.

Panichi contributed to Sinner’s Australian Open triumph in January and with him until the Terra Wortmann Open. Before the start of the Wimbledon Championships, Panichi and Sinner shockingly parted ways. The four-time Grand Slam champion recently rehired Umberto Ferrara to his team, which proved to be very controversial.

However, Panichi worked with Djokovic for seven years, from 2017 to 2024, and helped the former World No.1 win 12 Grand Slams. Rune, who just won only one match during the grass-court season is now seeking to reach his full potential on the court. The Danish star suffered a shocking first-round elimination despite being two sets up against Nicolas Jarry.

Rune revealed during an interview with Ziggo Sports that he first had a few days’ trial with Panichi before appointing him as his fitness coach. The World No.9 added that working with the former Djokovic coach has made him understand the connection between fitness and tennis:

I tried a few days with Marco down in Monaco and for me it was very, very challenging fitness training with him. It was not only about getting stronger, lifting weights, because that’s not what tennis is about. obviously you need a certain strength, but there’s a lot about the coordination, the biomechanics, and I think he challenged me in a different way that I haven’t tried before. His experience working so many years with Novak and a little time with Sinner, I really see the connection of fitness and tennis.

Rune made headlines last week when he was spotted training with tennis legend Andre Agassi. The former World No.4 later revealed that it was a short collaboration with the American legend at Washington. He was supposed to compete at the Citi Open, but he withdrew a day after the draw.

Holger Rune kicked off his Canadian Open campaign against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard

Holger Rune will officially start working with Marco Panichi at the Cincinnati Open, which starts on August 7. The pair will get right into the business of things ahead of the US Open, which comes after Cincinnati. Rune will be seeking to make sure that he goes beyond the semi-finals run he had last year at the Masters 1000 tournament.

Holger Rune (X/Holger Rune fans)
Holger Rune (X/Holger Rune fans)

Rune has been competing at the Canadian Open in Toronto, where he opened his North American hard-court campaign. He reached the round of 16 last year before losing to Alexander Zverev. This year, he has a good shot at the title as Jannik Sinner, Jack Draper, Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic were absent from the tournament.

That has made the Dane be seeded fifth in the tournament. He faced a tricky start against French star Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard on Tuesday (July 29), who he overcame in straight sets. Now, he’s projected to face Daniil Medvedev in the round of 16, should he beat Alexandre Muller in the round of 32. He currently holds a 2-2 head-to-head record against Medvedev and won their last meeting at the Indian Wells semi-finals.

The Canadian Open is Rune’s first tournament since the Wimbledon Championships, where he suffered a first round exit after losing to Nicolas Jarry. The World No.9 has not been to any tournament final since reaching the championship match of the Barcelona Open and defeating Carlos Alcaraz to claim the title.

Also read: Jessica Pegula Makes Honest Admission on the Two-Week Masters 1000 Format Ahead of the Canadian Open