"If your attitude isn’t right, you don’t really need to play tennis": Boris Becker had to adjust Holger Rune's attitude on working with rising Dane
ATP
Former world number one Boris Becker has admitted that Denmark’s
Holger Rune requires an immediate attitude adjustment.
The 56-year-old is currently working in the coaching staff
of the current world number eight. Becker, who ended up winning six Grand Slam
titles in his career, was recently quoted in a report where he admitted that
Rune needs some adjustment before taking the next steps in his career.
“The start was very intense because Holger’s participation
at the ATP Finals in Turin was on the line,” he said. “To put it clearly, he
had a very bad summer in which he was eliminated eight times in the first round
and once in the second round at nine tournaments.
“With a set and a break down in the first round in Basel,
everyone thought it would be another difficult one. But he showed fighting
qualities and was keen to win. We discussed in the preparation why he had lost
the matches. Was it because of his forehand or backhand or was it because of
his attitude? If your attitude isn’t right, you don’t really need to play
tennis.
“It got better from match to match – his attitude anyway,
but also his style of play. He lost the semi-final in Basel outright. That
wasn’t a good match either. Things were much better again in Paris.”
Rune had a difficult second phase of the season but ended the
year on a bit of a high where he eventually ended up participating in the ATP
Finals in Turin.
In that competition, the Gentofte-born ended up suffering two
defeats out of the three matches. Those defeats came against the current world
number one Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and the world number four Italy’s Jannik
Sinner which ended his hopes of playing in the last four. However, both of those
defeats came in closely fought contests which lasted three sets.
Azeem Siddiqui is a seasoned sports journalist and data analyst with a strong background in both digital media and live sports production.
He began his journalism career working with partners of The New York Times and has since contributed to several leading international sports publications, including Fox Sports Asia, Calciomercato, and GiveMeSport. Since 2023, Azeem has been part of the TennisUpToDate team, where he has played a key role in sustaining the platform’s growth and ensuring tennis fans receive timely and reliable coverage of the sport’s biggest stories.
In addition to his editorial work, Azeem has extensive experience as a data analyst in live sports broadcasting—particularly in cricket—where he combines analytical precision with creative storytelling. He has collaborated with multiple production companies and cricket boards worldwide, delivering real-time insights and data-driven narratives during live match coverage.
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