"I don't hire people just to sit there": Holger Rune sheds light on split with renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou and his mental frustration behind move
Danish tennis star Holger Rune has opened up about his decision to split with French coach Patrick Mouratoglou, stating their styles were not compatible at the moment.
Rune announced his partnership with Mouratoglou in October 2022, as the renown coach had assisted champions like Serena Williams and Simona Halep in reaching greater heights. The Danish youngster won a title in Stockholm and his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Paris soon after teaming with Mouratoglou, but the duo announced their split in April of the following year.
Mouratoglou not able to assist him mentally, reveals Rune
The 20-year old shed some light on his reasoning behind splitting with Mouratoglou, opening up about their relationship on the latest season of Netflix's Break Point documentary.
"It's been difficult, with the coaching situation," admitted Rune. "The people I hire, they have to help me. Sometimes I am thinking "Why are you here actually?" I don't hire people just to sit there. So it's also like a question of "Are you doing your job good enough?" And of course, it's my fault at the end but I didn't feel like Patrick's the right thing for me at the moment.
"It's been very frustrating for me because I was off, mentally. More closer you get to the tournament, that's more stress you get. And I think it's important that you have somebody that can build you up with confidence and control, like your emotions and stuff. And that's what I need during my tournaments. I called Patrick. I wasn't sure it was the right thing to say goodbye. I still felt he had something to teach me on the court and in life."
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
I enjoyed starting the year in Brisbane. Thank you for a great tournament @BrisbaneTennis and congratulations to @GrigorDimitrov for the win today. It was a great final 🎉 thank you to my team this week, Kenneth I really enjoyed our work together, not a bad start doing 2 finals