“I know how I managed to come this far”: Holger Rune reflects on growth since first Masters 1000 title

Holger Rune analysed what has changed for him since his first big breakthrough on Tour, winning the Paris Masters title by defeating none other than Novak Djokovic in the final. The 21-year-old reached his first Indian Wells final - fourth in Masters 1000 events - after eliminating two-time finalist Daniil Medvedev.

The Danish player defeated opponents like Hugo Humbert and Stefanos Tsitsipas on his way to the final, where he will aim for his second Masters title. Interestingly, in one of those previous finals, Rune fell to Medvedev on the clay courts of the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Despite his young age, Rune has spent several years competing among the best, though he hasn’t found the consistency of some of his contemporaries, like Alcaraz or Sinner. Still, when he feels comfortable on the court, he’s achieved remarkable results.

The world No. 13 spoke about what has changed for him over the past few years — since his Paris-Bercy title — and believes experience has been crucial in making deep runs at tournaments. "I mean, you know, I definitely feel that it's not just been a tournament where, you know, I closed my eyes and everything, you know, just went in."

"I think I know how I managed to come this far in the tournament. It's something that I feel like I can play like this day in and day out," the former world No. 4 said. "I'm not, as I said, closing my eyes and hitting the lines on every shot that you can maybe do once per year. I feel like I'm definitely building the points, mixing up the tempo, grinding, finding solutions when they're tough. I really try to focus on what I can control, and I try to find a way to win really."

"As I have said in almost every press conference, you know, some days you wake up, you hit the ball better; some days you don't. Against Daniil, we obviously trained a lot, and I find it way more difficult to play against him in a match than in training because in training you're more relaxed and free on the shots, whereas in matches there is more tension, and he wants to make you overplay, and I think that's one of his strengths, also."

Rune will face Jack Draper in Sunday’s final after the British No. 1 stunned two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semis. Draper will be chasing his first Masters 1000 title, making Rune the ‘experienced’ player in the match. The Dane leads their head-to-head 1-0.