“To bully Novak around the court is not the easiest thing to do” Andy Roddick praises Holger Rune’s genius

Andy Roddick recently spoke at great length about Holger Rune's prowess to Tennis Channel. He is hugely impressed with Holger Rune's skillset.

“To bully Novak around the court is not the easiest thing to do” Andy Roddick praises Holger Rune’s genius

Credit: Andy Roddick(Texas Monthly), Holger Rune(Instagram), Novak Djokovic(Tennis Majors)

Andy Roddick recently spoke at great length about Holger Rune’s prowess on Tennis Channel. The former World No. 1 is hugely impressed with Holger Rune’s skillset, especially after he defeated Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinal of the Italian Open. He believes what the young Dane has pulled off by defeating Novak Djokovic twice on a big stage is no small feat.

Holger Rune‘s biggest win so far has been when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the Paris Masters finals, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Despite Djokovic having won the first set, Holger was able to put pressure on Djokovic and win the match by winning the remaining two sets. In the Italian Open 2023 quarterfinal match too, Holger made Djokovic very uncomfortable. The Serbian was chasing the returns from Rune all over the court and from corner to corner. And several times, the world no. 1 was not able to make a return. Praising Holger’s dexterity, Andy Roddick said, “To bully Novak around the court in wet conditions is not the easiest thing to do, I promise you.”

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Andy Roddick said that Holger Rune’s talent is not just theoretical now. It is very tangible and visible. His talent is finally translating well on court, with him winning important matches. Roddick said, “Rune is changing the conversation from ‘This is what I believe I can do’ to ‘This is what I’m actually capable of, and here are the facts of my accomplishments.”

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Holger Rune’s Performance and Goals of 2023

Holger Rune
Credit: Instagram

Holger has already covered several milestones. Winning his first master’s as a teenager in 2022. In 2023, he will have already reached the ATP 1000 finals in Monte Carlo. He lost to Andrey Rublev in a very tight match, though. It could have gone Dane’s way too. He achieved the 7th world rank around the Post-Monte Carlo, Rune won the 2023 BMW Open. At the Madrid Open, he lost to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in another very intense and tight match.

Now his immediate goal is to win his first Grand Slam title in 2023. In the post-match conference after the Italian Open win against Novak Djokovic, he said, “I have to start with one (Grand Slam title).” The way the young Dane is playing of late, it seems highly plausible that he could achieve this goal in 2023. He could possibly be a favorite for the French Open now that Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the tournament.

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