Holger Rune, 19, called Roger Federer “the most elegant player” ever and admitted he regrets not having a chance to play against the Swiss tennis icon in an official match. In 2019, Rune – who at the time was one of the most promising juniors in the world – had a chance to practice with Federer.
In early 2020, Federer again started experiencing major knee problems and the Swiss appeared in just a couple more tournaments before he eventually retired. “Roger Federer. I practiced with him at the Nitto finals in 2019 but never played a match against him.
He is the most elegant player I have ever seen on a tennis court so I think I would be very inspired by playing against him,” Rune told Gio Journal.
Rune on Federer, Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic
Rune also thinks extremely highly of the remaining two Big Three group members.
“First I was a fan of Rafa. He was number one back then. I had Rafa posters all over my room. Then I became a Roger fan and later I was a fan of many players. To be more specific, I am a fan of Verdasco’s forehand, Zverev’s backhand, Novak’s return, Roger’s movements, Rafa’s fighter attitude, etc,” Rune said.
Federer finished his career with 20 Grand Slams and he is out of the all-time Grand Slam race. Nadal and Djokovic are currently tied for first place with each owning 22 Grand Slams. When asked about who is the tennis GOAT, Rune suggested there was no definitive answer to that question.
“This question is impossible to answer for me. Since I started becoming a fan of specific things in various players, for me every player has something special you can learn from and admire. Looking at the number of wins for sure Novak, Rafa and Roger are the record holders and in that sense the greatest,” Rune said.
