Tennis: Holger Rune expecting breakthrough year in 2025

Danish tennis star Holger Rune believes he does not need to change much about his game to have success on the ATP Tour in 2025.

The Dane has been widely regarded as a candidate to challenge the upper echelon of men’s tennis, but since his breakthrough season in 2022, he has failed to take the next step.

“It’s not like a need to change everything in my game,” Rune said.

“It’s just small adjustments.

“You look at someone like (Alexander) Zverev and he is a guy who improved a lot lately.

“Before his injury, he was top five consistently, but he has improved again now and will be a big contender for the Grand Slams next year.

“That’s what I want to do as well now.

“My next step is not to win a particular tournament.

“It’s just to maximise my potential and I believe if I can do that, I can win Grand Slams.”

Rune went on a tear in late 2022, making four consecutive finals and defeating Novak Djokovic to win the Paris Masters as a 19-year-old.

The next year he hit a career high of No.4 in the world, but he has since struggled with consistency and failed to keep pace with the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

However, Rune says there are still areas where Sinner and Alcaraz can improve, and believes he can rival them in 2025.

“I think Sinner has been a very complete player this year,” he said.

“Then when Alcaraz is playing his best tennis, he also seems complete.

“But at the same time, I can see that they can improve in some areas.

“That’s unbelievable when you think Sinner this year won almost everything.

“The great thing about tennis is everyone always has a chance to get better.

“Alcaraz has been great for tennis. He’s a great player, has a lot of skills and he is showing his skills on the court.

“Hopefully I will be there with them soon.”

Tennis bookmakers are less confident that Rune will be able to trouble the game’s elite in 2025.

Odds for the Australian Open in January put Sinner (+175) and Alcaraz (+240) on the first two lines of betting, while Rune is paying +4000 to win the title.

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