Holger Rune, who reached a career-high World No. 4 ranking on August 21, 2023, recently opened up about his rise in an interview, calling his achievement “more a gift” than a reflection of his own game. While his journey to No. 4 wasn’t handed to him on a silver platter—he had plenty of impressive results—Rune feels his spot was due more to rivals’ setbacks than his own success.
Despite his humility, Rune’s path to No. 4 came with hard work and standout performances: winning the 2022 Paris Masters, making semi-finals in Montpellier and Acapulco, reaching the finals at Monte-Carlo and the Italian Open, and making the quarters at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 2023. All of this consistency brought him to the 4,790-point mark last year, enough to break into the Top 4. However, Rune himself believes his results should have placed him in the Top 7 or Top 8 instead, attributing his rise to rivals who failed to defend their points.
“Honestly, I deserved to be in the Top 7 or Top 8 because of the results I achieved between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023,” Rune said. “But reaching the 4th place in the ranking was not a result of my work; it was a gift because of the results of the other players above me who did not defend the points from the previous year.”
Reflecting on his progression, Rune now feels he’s better prepared for the demands of a Top 4 player. “At that moment, I was not ready: my game was not Top 4, as well as my mentality,” he shared. “Now I feel like I have much more experience…this makes the mental aspect less demanding and generates energy to develop my game again.”
With a fresh mindset and confidence in his growth, Rune is more driven than ever to prove he’s earned his place among tennis’s elite, this time on his own terms.
