Meet Holger Rune, the Danish ‘bad boy’ of tennis

Jul 6 , 2024

Holger Rune is a rising star in tennis – but the young Danish athlete’s already seen his fair share of controversy. Photo: @holgerrune/Instagram

The 21-year-old has already bagged a Nike endorsement and millions in prize money, but regularly makes headlines for his bad temper

Holger Vitus Nødskov Rune wants to be the world’s number one tennis player and win grand slams – but he may first have to grow up. The 21-year-old won the 2022 Rolex Paris Masters, defeating Novak Djokovic, but has already earned a “bad boy” reputation for his on- and off-court antics, with a roller coaster career so far that has involved feuds with other tennis players. Here’s what we know about him:

He followed his sister into tennis

Holger Rune started playing tennis from a young age. Photo: @holgerrune/Instagram

Born on April 29, 2003, in Copenhagen, Rune started playing tennis when he was three years old. It has been widely reported that his sister Alma, who is now a model, first started playing tennis and Holger followed in her footsteps. In a profile on the ATP Tour website, Alma even joked that Rune was “quite lazy” when it came to fitness training back then, adding that he was “chubby” and “loved cake” as a child.

He’s had a revolving door of coaches

Holger Rune at the French Open. Photo: @rolandgarros/Instagram

Rune has created waves in the tennis world for his all-court-game and play at the net. In June, Rune faced-off against German pro tennis player Alexander Zverev in a five-set thriller in the French Open, but Zverev beat him and advanced to the quarter finals.

All eyes have been on Rune as the Danish player faces issues of consistency in his game. In part, this has been attributed to his bad history with coaches. In February, Rune made headlines after Boris Becker confirmed he would be stepping down as Rune’s head coach after less than four months in the job. The announcement came hot on the heels of news that Roger Federer’s former coach Severin Lüthi had also left the youngster due to scheduling difficulties. Rune said he needed “people who know me, who can be there all the time”. He has since hired Patrick Mouratoglou, a French coach whose tennis academy he attended as a 13-year-old, per Tennis.com.

He’s a bad boy on the court

Holger Rune at the Miami Open. Photo: @holgerrune/Instagram