Holger Rune is 'lost' and 'needs to learn how to play tennis better' amid high talent ceiling says Rennae Stubbs
ATP
Holger Rune looks lost on the court and doesn't really have a game plan in a damning verdict of the Dane from former coach of Serena Williams, Rennae Stubbs in her latest podcast.
Rune started to struggle last season after his Quarter-Final loss to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon with the Dane suffering with illness and injury. But he kept powering through and ultimately paid the price with a dismal run of form. He also had a bit of a coaching merry go round.
Seemingly finding the perfect team on paper in Boris Becker and Severin Luthi, he failed to keep them around for long due to the amount of time needed to actually coach him. Patrick Mouratoglou was brought back into the fold. He has lost in the third round at both the Rome and Madrid Open. Two tournaments that he has had Mouratoglou back since he disposed of his initial team after Australia.
Stubbs who previously called Rune 'punchable' due to his antics assessed Rune's plight admitting that he needs to learn how to play tennis better. Without being too damning, Stubbs said this is due to the fact that he doesn't have a game plan and very much goes onto the court not playing to his strengths. Despite in the view of the coach and ex-doubles star, Rune having a huge talent ceiling that needs to be exploited.
"His (Holger Rune's) talent level is through the roof but the forehand's a little funk and he just needs to learn how to play tennis better. I feel like he's lost a little bit on the court. He doesn't really have these great gameplans out there," Stubbs said in an episode of Racquet's Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast.
"What are your strengths? What do you play to? He's young and he's athletic, but I feel like he doesn't really know what his go-to stuff is. Like what's your go-to stuff that you can rely on every single point over and over and over?"
Samuel GillEditor-in-Chief
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has a broad background in tennis media. In his current role, he works closely with editors and writers to ensure coverage meets clear journalistic standards, with particular attention to verification, consistency, and timely updates when new information becomes available.
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