Danish Angel - Holger Rune Talk

[Jelenafan]

Someone has to start the thread of the next great ATP champion.

Let me just say that winning 5 matches versus top 10 opponents in 5 consecutive days on the 2022bParis Indoor Masters is as impressive a feat as any youngster has had in the last few years. The kid needs to get better conditioning I feel, but again , hopefully at his age it's the "sponge" sweet spot of learning and improving.

The Holger tidbit of the day, when earlier this year asked about the Big 3.

"I hate the GOAT discussion. They achieved something that is history making. Records are there to be broken. Players like them] showed us the extreme high level of tennis and this is what makes the young generation so good today".

You have to love this kid.

 

[Nadalfan2013]

 

[nehmeth]

Rune hits clean shots with depth and pace. He moves well. Has a nice serve, and definitely has the attitude to be #1. He had a nice run in Paris, excellent actually. This year at the Australian Open he played Rublev and lost a heartbreaker. In France last week, I believe he was the #1 seed and got knocked out by Cressy whom he’d beaten in straight (albeit competitive) sets in Oz. He did not step up and take the match. As with all young players who advance the ranks, he’s going to have a learning curve being the one chased and not just a chaser. It will be interesting to see how he navigates that hurdle.

 

[Fiero425]

Rune hits clean shots with depth and pace. He moves well. Has a nice serve, and definitely has the attitude to be #1. He had a nice run in Paris, excellent actually. This year at the Australian Open he played Rublev and lost a heartbreaker. In France last week, I believe he was the #1 seed and got knocked out by Cressy whom he’d beaten in straight (albeit competitive) sets in Oz. He did not step up and take the match. As with all young players who advance the ranks, he’s going to have a learning curve being the one chased and not just a chaser. It will be interesting to see how he navigates that hurdle.

I posted, Rune's run may be done! He had to retire today in Rotterdam! I think that Paris Indoor result had something to do w/ being "in the zone!"

 

[Moxie]

I posted, Rune's run may be done! He had to retire today in Rotterdam! I think that Paris Indoor result had something to do w/ being "in the zone!"

You mentioned him being "in the zone" in another thread, too. You say that like it's a bad thing...or as if "the zone" isn't a place that great players find. You sound like you're finding an excuse for why Djokovic lost that final. As to "Rune's run maybe be done," he's 19, lest you forget. I think he's just getting started. It's fans like you that might make some of us join the "Angel Brigade." How's that for a taste of your own medicine?

 

[Jelenafan]

What a valiant effort by the Danish Angel , cramping severely yet still battling on against the ever dangerous Alex De Minaur in the Acapulco event. The heavens sang with his courage and will power.

Won’t validate or dignify the rumors that the Norweigan Thug ( last name rhymes with Mood, first name is similar to Casper) slipped a dehydrating pill in Holger’s sports drinks before the match. Won’t stoop that low.

Onward to Indian Wells little Holger!

 

[El Dude]

Denmark > Norway, therefore Rune > Ruud.

Denmark has, I believe, the highest life satisfaction in the world, whereas Norway is just a NATO vassal for American imperialism.

(But I'm enjoying Ragnarok, I must admit. The show on Netflix, not the actual end of the world that we're experiencing)

 

[Jelenafan]

Denmark > Norway, therefore Rune > Ruud.

Denmark has, I believe, the highest life satisfaction in the world, whereas Norway is just a NATO vassal for American imperialism.

(But I'm enjoying Ragnarok, I must admit. The show on Netflix, not the actual end of the world that we're experiencing)

Yes, El Dude, it pleases Little Holger fans that you have the insight to detect the Norweigan Sauron for the threat he truly is.

What great news that the Danish Cherub has reached his highest ranking ever, # 8 in the world. For Indian Wells at this Masters Rascally Rune should be seeded #7. As such, he will be facing a top 4 seed only in the Quarters!

Of course we all know a certain tottering Scandinavian ruffian ( last name sounds like Rude, just add and subtract a vowel) is quacking in his kicks that his hour of reckoning may come and he will have to face the Valiant Danish Angel in the same quarter. Let us hope that it is a fair match with no tricks or poor sportsmanship from one side of the net ( we need not name names, not mentioning the unfriendly Norwegian ghost).

Little Holger is up to the challenge and by the claycourt season his ranking could rise even higher, carry on Holger!

 

[El Dude]

Yes, El Dude, it pleases Little Holger fans that you have the insight to detect the Norweigan Sauron for the threat he truly is.

What great news that the Danish Cherub has reached his highest ranking ever, # 8 in the world. For Indian Wells at this Masters Rascally Rune should be seeded #7. As such, he will be facing a top 4 seed only in the Quarters!

Of course we all know a certain tottering Scandinavian ruffian ( last name sounds like Rude, just add and subtract a vowel) is quacking in his kicks that his hour of reckoning may come and he will have to face the Valiant Danish Angel in the same quarter. Let us hope that it is a fair match with no tricks or poor sportsmanship from one side of the net ( we need not name names, not mentioning the unfriendly Norwegian ghost).

Little Holger is up to the challenge and by the claycourt season his ranking could rise even higher, carry on Holger!

Funny stuff. If Ruud is the Norwegian Sauron, who is Morgoth?

To add a bit more seriousness, what excites me about Rune--and why I see him as in a similar category as Alcaraz and above just about everyone else, in terms of absolute potential--is the dominance he showed at the end of last season. None of the other younger generations has done that, in my memory - at least not at that age. Consider his Paris scalps: Wawrinka, Hurkacz, Rublev, Alcaraz, Djokovic. Sure, Stan wasn't Stanimal, and Alcaraz retired, but that's a rather impressive list to defeat in a single tournament. And at 19-years old.

This sort of high level is something we haven't really seen in the younger guys, and is one of the hallmarks of a great players at a young age: showing truly dominant form. With most of the Next Genners, there's a sense that they'll win big tournaments if the draw opens up for them, if Fedal ages out, or if the context is just right. With both Alcaraz and Rune, it seems that they can find a level that can beat anyone. I mean, there's a certain poetry to Alcaraz's defeat of Rafa last year, and Rune's defeat of Novak.

I think FAA has the talent to be one of those guys, but the fact that he's three years older and less accomplished than either doesn't bode well.

 

[Jelenafan]

The Angel at full flight…

 

[Jelenafan]

Defying gravity

 

[Jelenafan]

Kyrgios knows the score with Little Holger & Wawrinka :

So sad we have to add yet another troublesome player from a pseudo “nice/nuetral”country like Switzerland to the roster of Holger haters who are envious of his tennis gifts. First Norway, now another snow capped refuge of thugs.

 

[Jelenafan]

Holger practicing in Miami

 

[tented]

With 40% Upside, Holger Rune's Game Is a Strong Buy

 

[El Dude]

Here's a crazy fact about Rune. He finished 2021 with a 1735 Elo, 151st in tennis. In 2022 he finished with 2089, jumping to 13th.

Meaning, he went from the 151st best player (according to Elo) to the 13th best.

I did a bit of research to see if there is any precedent for that kind of jump. Here are all players who went from outside the top 100 Elo to inside the top 20:

Becker: 111 to 6 in 1984-85, age 17-18.
Hewitt: 125 to 20 in 1998-99, age 17-18.
Rune: 151 to 13 in 2021-22, age 18-19.

That's it - just three players.

Now lots of guys jumped from outside the top 100 to the 21-50ish range, including all-time greats (Borg 101 to 28) and a lot of lesser players and disappointments. A few also jumped from 80+ to top 10 (e.g. Wilander). But only three have jumped from outside the top 100 to inside the top 20 in the space of a year.

By the way, Tsitsipas was close: he went from 134 to 24 in 2017-18 at age 19-20. Sinner too, from 121 to 30 in 2019-20 at age 18-19.

Wondering about Alcaraz? Well, he didn't play enough in 2020 to get a year-end Elo, but went from 33 to 4 in 2021-22. So let's look at players who went from outside the top 30 to top 5:

Guillermo Vilas 37 to 5 in 1973-74, age 21-22.
John McEnroe 39 to 5 in 1977-78, age 18-19.
Ivan Lendl 36 to 4 in 1979-80, age 19-20.
Pete Sampras 72 to 5 in 1989-90, age 18-19.
Jonas Bjorkman 55 to 3 in 1996-97, age 24-25.
Patrick Rafter 33 to 2 in 1996-97, age 24-25.
Carlos Moya 38 to 3 in 2001-02, age 25-26.
Marat Safin 32 to 2 in 1999-2000, age 19-20.
Guillermo Coria 43 to 5 in 2002-03, age 20-21.
Rafael Nadal 33 to 2 in 2004-05, age 18-19.
Carlos Alcaraz 33 to 4 in 2021-22, age 18-19.

So a longer list and a mixture of very good to GOAT level. The only three who did it at the same age as Alcaraz are McEnroe, Sampras, and Nadal - three of the very best players of the Open Era.

 

[Fiero425]

With 40% Upside, Holger Rune's Game Is a Strong Buy

Rune's catching it from all sides! Even Martina commented on his persona! (para'g)"He's good, but the arrogance!" He's got it all; looks & talent!

 

[Jelenafan]

Rune's catching it from all sides! Even Martina commented on his persona! (para'g)"He's good, but the arrogance!" He's got it all; looks & talent!

Martina on arrogance?

Pot. Kettle. Black.

 

[Fiero425]

Martina on arrogance?

Pot. Kettle. Black.

She has all the "right" to be! It's as if she's gone the way of "BJK" and just an afterthought w/ all her accomplishments! They give her all due deference in her presence, but all too often the conversation centers around Serena & Graf, w/ a sprinkling of Court! She had a lot to overcome and lost years of her life getting to where she ended up! Martina's still done more than any other player; male or female! This isn't hero worship! Her numbers proliferate the record books just like Djokovic! They own it all! She did things that will never be achieved w/ the state of affairs in women's tennis where consistency is a thing of the past! IDK how anyone can ever come close to 167 singles titles, 332 wks. @ #1, 7 YE #1's, #1 in doubles for over 200 wks., 6 majors won in a row, 2 CGS, a Box Set, ...I could go on OTTH! The #'s are staggering, so she's a little put off she'll be forgotten after she retires from TCC! She has a HUGE ego, I well know it, but it doesn't take away from her domination in the game; singles & doubles! - - - - - - - - - https://fiero4251.blogspot.com/2016/11/fan-page-borgnavratilova-70s-90s.html -

 

[Moxie]

Martina on arrogance?

Pot. Kettle. Black.

I don't agree with everything Fiero said above, but most of it. I do not find Marina arrogant in the least, though.

 

[rafanoy1992]

I have not talk about Rune since he won the Paris Indoor Masters last Fall. I will try to comment so here's my two cents:

I think 2023 will be a good/great lesson for Rune in terms of the true grind of the ATP Tour. He will have good moments but I feel like he will more "lessons" moments than good moments. People talk about his mental attitude/frustrations and rightfully so. But remember he is only 19 (turning 20 on 4/29), so he has time to mentally mature. He needs to navigate these lessons every day in order to manage these frustrations during matches. Hopefully, he hires the right coach in order for him to manage those emotions. As we have seen with Alcaraz w/Ferrero and Sinner w/Cahill, having the right coach is pivotal in terms of handling the daily grind of the ATP Tour.

Another thing I would like to talk about his physical fitness. In my opinion, I still think he needs to get stronger physically. The great thing, as mentioned above, he is only 19 turning 20, so he has ample of time to gradually become fitter in the years to come. The key for him is that can he be patient and trust the process. If he can be patient, then the results will come naturally.

That's the only thing I can say about him as of right now. I can not talk about his game right now because I have not watch him play a lot (I am more focused on Sinner). And while the Paris Masters is a great accomplishment, it is still a small sample size for me to truly analyze his game or potential.