At Roland Garros,
“I know I don’t like everyone… But when I see who I don’t like, I wonder if it really bothers me. Purists will no doubt have recognized the mythical quote of “JC” in Dikkenek, a masterpiece of Belgian comedy, tailor-made for the animal on which we are going to look today, the young and boiling Dane Holger Rune. From the height of his 20 years, the kid, who faces Casper Ruud in the quarter-finals on Wednesday evening on the Central, has managed to carve out a reputation as a small moth on the circuit, so much so that it is difficult today to find a press article about him not talking about that. Pinailleur in the extreme with each refereeing decision in his disfavour, encouraging himself furiously after each point, hyper communicative with his clan in the bleachers and endowed with an immense confidence in him, so many attitudes which are not to the taste of everyone in the highly polished modern tennis.
For there to be a reputation, good or bad, there must be a facilitator who propagates it. In Rune’s case, it was veteran Stan Wawrinka who stuck to it. It was in Bercy, at the end of last year, on a court n°1 which became Bombonera during this quarrel between the old and the modern. In an arena entirely won over to the cause of the Swiss, the Dane did not let himself be dismantled and provoked the annoyance of Stan The Man, beaten in three epic sets (4-6, 7-5, 7-6 [3]). “Stop behaving like a baby,” he will tell her in a more-freezing-you-freeze-in-Siberia handshake. At the time, Rune does not understand what Wawrinka is accusing him of. It is true that the reaction of the former winner of Roland 2015 was a tad disproportionate.
A bad reputation, really?
Present in the stands that day, Rune’s agent remains perplexed. “I can swear to you that he did not say a word on the field, Stan’s reaction was not at all appropriate in my opinion, rewinds Philippe Weiss. I think he was a little miffed that he lost after having match points. Yes, there are games where Holger behaves less well than others, but there he said nothing. It was not the right match to make this reflection to him. ” A few months later in Indian Wells, Wawrinka will take his revenge and put (a little) water in his wine, speaking then of a ” very great champion with enormous potential ” but who is making ” a reputation in the locker room that he will regret one day. »
Even if there are necessarily people with whom you have less affinity, overall it is someone appreciated on the circuit, rectifies his agent. The players train together all year round, and you’re bound to avoid hitting balls with guys who don’t like you, and Holger has no problem finding players to hit with. He is a charming boy off the field, he is nice, well brought up, assures his agent. And once on the ground, it’s true, it is sometimes a little boiling. But I don’t find it bad personally. We need to have players who express something, guys who have character, who offer things to the public. We are in a sport that swears only by exemplarity, the smooth, controlled side, without roughness, and I think that people no longer want that. Monday (in the round of 16 against Cerundolo) there were a lot of emotions, something happened and that’s what we want to see, that’s the tennis we love. »
Questioned at the start of the fortnight, Fabrice Santoro validates the character and points out the inconsistencies in the point of view of the fans. “Some say tennis has become too slick because of the code of conduct, but on the other hand the same will complain about Rune’s behavior. We should know at some point, ”blows the Prime Video consultant.
Words and deeds
Beyond his volcanic character on the court, Holger Rune also exudes great self-confidence and does not hesitate to openly display his ambitions. Compared to a clearly less exuberant Alcaraz, again following in the footsteps of his elder Rafael Nadal, Rune knows he is good and does not hesitate to say it out loud. An American attitude that stands out in the middle. “He is obsessed with his performance on the pitch, he has very, very high goals – to win Grand Slams and be world number 1 – and they display them, but it’s not arrogance, says Philippe Weiss. Arrogance is someone who announces things but who behind is not going to go to the coal to implement it. He goes there, he’s a perfectionist, he’s one of the hardest workers on the circuit, he puts his speeches into action, in line with what he announces. And that is proof of humility, not arrogance. »
Fabrice Santoro agrees: “I like players who display their ambitions when the whole thing is coherent. A player who says ”I want to win Roland-Garros” and who in the evening goes to a club to get drunk, no, that doesn’t make sense. On the other hand, a guy who displays his ambitions and who works six hours a day, who thinks about tennis 24 hours a day, who pays attention to his physique, to what he eats, to his sleep, there I like it, I I have a lot of respect for these players. »
“He doesn’t cheat”
According to Marion Bartoli, who rubbed shoulders with him last December when the Dane was preparing for his season in Dubai, where she lives year-round, Rune is indeed part of this category. “It was raining that day and Patrick Mouratoglou (his coach) asked me if I knew of an indoor court where he could train. I recommended one to him and we took the opportunity to go see him with the two children that I train year-round in Dubai. We attended his training match against Popyrin and it was crazy to see how much he puts the same intensity as in match. He was angry the same way when he missed a point, he changed his t-shirt four times because he sweated so much. He doesn’t actually cheat”, hello the former French player.
If some would like to see him change his behavior, this is not the case for Philippe Weiss or Patrick Mouratoglou. “He still has his fiery personality, it will never be a great calm on the pitch, but it’s something you have to cultivate rather than curb in my opinion. I don’t want it to mess up. Afterwards, on my side, I try to ensure that his image is the best possible. I’m here to develop business, the image it will give off will have an impact on my negotiations with brands and sponsors, so I don’t take this subject lightly. But I sincerely believe that people and brands are also asking for this kind of personality. And I have the impression that he is in the process of finding a very good compromise between his ardor and the necessary calm required by these major grand slam meetings. “Wednesday, on the occasion of his reunion with Casper Ruud, with whom he had fallen out here last year in the quarter-finals, Rune should therefore be at ease in the very special atmosphere of the nights session .