Holger Rune explains why he thinks his rise to world number four was not deserved

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Holger Rune gave an honest assessment of his career so far as he reflected on his breakout 2022 season.

A fractured season for the 21-year-old has seen coaching changes and injury woes aplenty.

Holger Rune’s breakout run at the Paris Masters two years ago saw him defeat five top 10 players in a row on the way to his maiden Master’s title.

Since however, Rune has cycled through numerous coaches including multiple stints with Naomi Osaka’s new coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

With Rune’s run in Shanghai coming to an end with a thud after Taylor Fritz limited the Dane to just three games, the age-old questions have come to a head yet again.

Holger Rune makes honest admission over previous ranking

While unable to replicate his historic Paris run, Rune’s sudden rise into the top four gave him a status he has now revealed he doesn’t think he truly deserved.

Speaking to tennis outlet Quindici Zero, Rune explained that his spot at fourth in the world was a ‘gift’.

He said: “Honestly, I deserved to be in the Top 7/ Top 8 because of the results I achieved between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023. But reaching the 4th place in the ranking was not a result of my work,” Rune reflected.

“It was a gift because of the results of the other players above me who did not defend the points from the previous year,” Rune said, who beat Novak Djokovic in the Paris Masters final in 2022.

“At that moment I was not ready: my game was not Top 4, as well as my mentality. Now I feel like I have much more experience and this part is important, because you need to adapt in the right way to stay at that level.

“Some people do it faster than others, I feel comfortable in every aspect of the game now: this makes the mental aspect less demanding and generates energy to develop my game again. So now I feel good about all of this.”

Now situated at 13th in the world, the 21-year-old is not exactly in a huge spot of bother, but nonetheless remains destined to be yet another example of wasted potential.

Can Holger Rune ever meet his potential?

The problem with potential is you can never prove you didn’t have it – With Rune several thousand points off the top five, the conversation surrounding the youngster is often unhelpful.

Rune is nearly always spoken about in terms he himself has admitted not even he thought he deserved.

With flashes of brilliance and a powerful game, Rune’s success will depend on refining his consistency, both mentally and physically.

Now with Rune’s new coaching stability, here’s hoping he can finally have a consistent base behind him.