Former world number one
Boris Becker has agreed with the
criticism of America’s
Jim Courier on Denmark’s
Holger Rune. The 21-year-old is
still regarded as one of the most talented players currently playing in men’s
tennis in the singles category.
However, his court performances have been far from
consistent. Because of this, he has now narrowly missed out on a spot in the
upcoming ATP Finals. The mega-event, which is the last in the men’s tennis
calendar, features the top eight players and will be played in Turin this
year. Rune’s most recent outing was in the Paris Masters, where he lost in the semifinal
to Alexander Zverev in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 7-6.
Former world number one Courier recently spoke to the Tennis
Channel, as quoted by Tennis 365, where he criticised Rune. The 54-year-old said
that despite his talent, the Gentofte-born player lacks maturity in his gameplay,
which is stopping him from winning important matches.
"I, for one, have no idea what he's trying to do out
here,” he said. “It's just all happening instinctively - it's like a full-blown
jazz exploration out here. No rhyme, no rhythm. There's a lot of great things
happening, it's just all scattershot and that is not a recipe for long-term
success. It's still a very immature game. If he wants to be with the big boys
consistently, he's gonna have to find something he can rely on rather than
throwing paint against the wall and seeing what it looks like when it's all
said and done. He just needs a sense of order - doesn't have it.”
Former world number one Becker, who has also coached Rune in
the recent past, in a post on his official account on the social media platform
X — previously known as Twitter — has back Courier’s claims. “Jim knows what
he’s talking about,” he wrote.
