Holger Rune
is hopeful about his chances in the 2024
Australian Open and has mentioned his
ambition to reach the final and defeat
Novak Djokovic there.
The
20-year-old tennis player already has experience in several Grand Slam main
draws and will be participating in the Aussie Open for the third time starting
on January 15, entering as one of the favorites ranked as world No. 8. Rune
aspires to prove in 2024 that he can advance to later stages in Grand Slams,
having reached three quarterfinals, two in the French Open (2022, 2023) and one
at Wimbledon (2023).
“It’s true.
I feel very good on the biggest stages. Is different. The atmosphere is
incredible,” Rune said.
“Maybe
because I'm very passionate about my tennis, it feels even better to be
surrounded by lots of people who are excited to see great tennis. Bring
anything extra,” he added.
His record
in Australia this year was reaching the fourth round, but he faced a tough
battle with Andrey Rublev (3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-7). However, this time, if he
maintains his position as the eighth in the world at the entry list cutoff, he
will avoid facing any opponent with a higher ranking than him, at least until
the quarterfinals.
Rune
expressed confidence in what he can achieve in the early months of the year, as
he mentioned in an interview with Bola Amarela.
“Now I want
to have great results on outdoor hard ground,”
“I've done
very well on clay, grass and indoor hard courts, so now it's time to show off
my outdoor hardcourt tennis. That's why my choice would be the Australian Open
final against Novak,” the 2022 Paris Masters champion added.
Rune has
already played against Novak Djokovic on five occasions, securing two
victories, a notable achievement that hasn't gone unnoticed by the 24-times
Grand Slam champion. Djokovic has praised the Danish player and has even drawn
comparisons between Rune and himself:
“I accept
that as a huge compliment. I mean… Novak managed to achieve everything we
dreamed of,” Rune concluded.