Coach Patrick Mouratoglou has come to Holger Rune’s defense, insisting the 20-year-old is actually great for the game. Rune, who is enjoying a career-high ranking of No 7 in the world, is establishing himself as one of the best players in the game but also as someone who is never afraid to speak and act with how he feels.
During a Monte Carlo Masters semifinal against Jannik Sinner, Rune got into with the crowd and it was evident that his opponent didn’t like it. In Madrid, Rune again got into it with the crowd during his match against Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
Rune is often praised for his tennis but also at times criticized by some for his behavior and personality. “Holger Rune fills up the stadiums! He will do it more and more in the future and I love it,” Mouratoglou captioned his Instagram video.
Mouratoglou defends Rune’s personality from criticism
“First thing I want to say about Holger’s emotion on the court is that everybody’s different. I personally like players who are giving emotion and to share that with the crowd in a way, because you express it.
It helps also people connect with you in a good or in a bad way, but they connect and it makes the stadium alive and that’s why those guys in general, they are guys who really fill up the stadiums. They fill up the stadium because – the game and we love the game but it’s not hitting a tennis ball on the other side of the court.
It’s also about giving emotion to people who watch. When you have players like Holger, who are full of emotions and who share those emotions throughout the match, something’s happening on the court. So, I personally like it and I understand people don’t like it and it’s totally fine,” Mouratoglou said in the video.
Mouratoglou guided Rune to his first Masters title in Paris in late 2022. Last month, Rune and Mouratoglou announced they ended their full-time partnership.
