“Hopefully, I’ll be there soon”: Holger Rune aims to close the gap with Sinner and Alcaraz

Holger Rune spoke about comparisons with his contemporaries Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who have pulled ahead as leaders of the next generation. The 21-year-old Dane seemed destined for the same success as his rivals but has yet to make the definitive leap.

From an early age, Rune emerged as a promising prospect and had a rapid breakthrough on the Tour, winning three titles in 2022 at just 19 years old, including the Paris Masters, where he defeated Novak Djokovic in the final. Although he has achieved several good results since then, Rune (world No. 13) has yet to consolidate his position at the same level as Sinner (23) and Alcaraz (21).

In 2024, Rune started strong, reaching the final of the Brisbane International (losing to Dimitrov), but he did not play in any more finals throughout the year. He reached the semifinals at the Cincinnati Open and Paris Masters but did not progress beyond the fourth round in any of the Grand Slams this season.

On the other hand, Sinner and Alcaraz combined for 12 titles and evenly split the four Grand Slams of the year, finishing as world No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, leaving Rune a step behind for now.

The Dane responded in an interview with Tennis 365, discussing the reasons why his colleagues are at the top of the game today. "I think Sinner has been a very complete player this year. Then when Alcaraz is playing his best tennis, he also seems complete, but at the same time, I can see that they can improve in some areas."

"That’s unbelievable when you think Sinner this year won almost everything. The great thing about tennis is everyone always has a chance to get better. Alcaraz has been great for tennis. He’s a great player, has a lot of skills, and he is showing his skills on the court. Hopefully, I will be there with them soon."

Rune will start his season at the Brisbane International on December 29, where he will defend a significant number of points after reaching the final last year. This will be his only tournament before competing at the Australian Open, where he will aim to improve on his 2024 performance, having entered as the 8th seed and fallen to Arthur Cazaux in the second round.