Holger Rune relishes hit out with inspirational Grand Slam hero
Holger Rune was thrilled to have the chance to enjoy a hit-out with Danish tennis icon Caroline Wozniacki ahead of the US Open season.
Rune revealed that Wozniacki is one of his biggest inspirations.He vividly remembers watching her win the 2018 Australian Open and felt that it was incredible that someone from Denmark could win a Grand Slam.“My first memory of her is watching her from TV and she was playing all the tournaments and we were on the couch, all the family, watching her,” Rune said in a chat with ATPTour.com.
“The memory that stands out was when she won the Australian Open. We were all watching. It was crazy to watch a Danish player win a Grand Slam in an incredible match, so it was a big inspiration.“Nobody ever won a Grand Slam in singles in Denmark. So to see her do it was like, ‘Okay, maybe I can also do it one day.
“It just makes the belief more real if you see somebody do it.”
In their session across the net, Rune was full of praise for the game of the former WTA No 1.
“She has an incredible backhand, but obviously men’s and women’s tennis is very different,” Rune said of Wozniacki’.“Her backhand and her fighting spirit I feel are her two best qualities. It took her to World No. 1 and Grand Slam champion.”
Rune commended Wozniacki for coming back to the sport after so long out and being able to hit her straps so soon and notch a match win in her first WTA appearance.“It’s difficult after three years without tennis to come back and win matches. It’s a big, big thing to do,” Rune said. “For sure I think she’s playing really well, to be honest.”Wozniacki said that she has been tracking the progress of Rune and rooting for her compatriot.
“It’s just been awesome to see the quick progression that Holger’s been making and now obviously being top five in the world is so special,” Wozniacki said.“It’s such a small country, so when anyone does something big in sports or in anything else, you always root for them and it’s just been so fun to watch Holger just consistently play so well.” Rune moved into the top five of the ATP Rankings for the first time this week but would no doubt like to improve his recent form after a second round exit in Toronto.
