‘Everybody has their own journey,’ Holger Rune dismisses all comparisons with childhood buddy Carlos Alcaraz, says the Spaniard deserves all the attention

‘Everybody has their own journey,’ Holger Rune dismisses all comparisons with childhood buddy Carlos Alcaraz, says the Spaniard deserves all the attention

Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune

Teenage sensation Holger Rune is on top of the world after defeating last year’s French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas 7-5 3-6 6-3 6-4 at Roland Garros on Monday.

The Dane, who has improved more than 350 places in the world rankings in the past 15 months, is currently ranked 40 in the world. With the victory over Tsitsipas, he has produced his best Grand Slam performance thus far. 

Also, after his historical triumph, Rune, who will lock horns with Casper Ruud for a place in the semi-finals, heaped praises on another teen sensation Carlos Alcaraz, who also happens to be his childhood buddy. 

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“He deserves all the attention he is getting”- Holger Rune on Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz

Because they are both 19 and have reached the quarter-finals at Roland-Garros, it’s only natural for Holger Rune to be mentioned in the same sentence as Carlos Alcaraz.

Rune, however, is quick to point out how his path varies from that of Alcaraz, the Spanish dynamo who began the 2022 French Open as one of the favorites and is currently attracting a lot of attention even though he lost to Alexander Zverev in the Quarter-finals. 

“I think he deserves all the attention that he’s getting,” said Rune. “About me, I’m going at my own pace, at my own kind of way, and improving at my own time. It’s great. Everybody has their own journey, and this is mine.” 

His path does, however, cross with Alcaraz, which is unsurprising considering their age difference. They played doubles together at Les Petits As, a renowned 14-and-under event in Tarbes, France — a YouTube video from years ago shows the pair in action — and Alcaraz defeated Rune in straight sets at the Next Gen Finals in Milan last year.

In the same vein, both have now defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas at a Grand Slam, with Rune doing so Monday at Roland-Garros for the first time in a major quarter-final. During the third round of the 2021 U.S. Open, Alcaraz defeated the Greek in five sets. 

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