"Poise and perseverance": Holger Rune praised by coach Boris Becker despite defeat to Novak Djokovic at Paris Masters

Holger Rune has been praised by his new coach Boris Becker despite losing to Novak Djokovic in the quarter-final of the 2023 Paris Masters.

Following his run to the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, World No. 7 Rune had been having a nightmare on the ATP Tour, suffering a string of early exits. However, he now appears to be turning things around after it was announced that Becker would be coaching him for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Since then, the 20-year-old made it to the semi-finals of the Swiss Indoors Basel last week and defeated Dominic Thiem and Daniel Altmaier to set up a quarter-final clash with Djokovic in Paris. Although he ultimately lost to the World No. 1, he was able to take it to three sets, and his coach stressed that there were a lot of positives to take from the match.

Although Rune was the defending champion in Paris and defeated Djokovic in the final last year, there was not much expectation for him to repeat this feat immediately after a difficult few months. Therefore, the fact that he fought throughout the match, losing 5-7, 7-6 (3), 4-6, served as a promising sign for the future.

Moreover, Rune's improvement in the last few weeks, combined with his success earlier in the season means that he has clinched the last qualification spot for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

"Spectacular fight last night from both players. Congratulations @DjokerNole! @holgerrune2003 showed a lot of poise and perseverance. As his coach I’m excited to work with such a promising young player. Now the focus is on the #ATPFinals. See you in Turin," wrote Becker on X after the match.

Becker previously coached Djokovic from 2014 to 2016, helping him to six of his twenty-four Grand Slam titles. The Serbian player also commented on Rune's fast improvement under the tutelage of Becker after the match in Paris.

"He has been playing much better in the past few weeks since working with Boris," he said, "It was strange seeing Boris in the opposing box, but I knew it might happen this week and I wish Holger and him all the best in Turin."