"World No.1 next year, is that realistic? Why not": Patrick Mouratoglou sets aim for rising star Rune in 2023

Patrick Mouratoglou feels like Holger Rune can become world number one in 2023 as he prepares to coach him through a pivotal year on Tour.

The coach of Halep started working with Rune after she underwent nose surgery and pulled out of events following the US Open. It became later known that she is suspended from tennis due to a positive doping ban and the Rune - Mouratoglou pairing suddenly made more sense. They had a good run to finish off the year as Rune won the Paris Masters by beating Djokovic in the final.

Mouratoglou doesn't think anything is impossible and everything is realistic in 2023:

"I think everything is realistic. I think if you set limits for yourself, you're not going to get past them anyway, so he's absolutely right to set high goals for himself. It works for him. There is no shame in having great ambitions. Holger aims high all the time, but that's also why he is capable of doing great things. He doesn't necessarily set many limits for himself, and if he fulfils his goals, that's great."

He event went as far as claiminig that number one is realistic:

"World No. 1 next year, is that realistic? Why not. When you can do what he did, anything is possible. Now, it's going to require him to be able to perform like he did in Bercy [at the Paris Masters], all year long, and especially in the Grand Slams and in the Masters 1000, where it counts the most. So it's not going to be easy, obviously, but if it were easy to be the best in the world, we'd know already. Is that realistic? It's not unrealistic. It will be extremely difficult, but it is not unrealistic."