Rune discusses his collaboration with Agassi: he can provide me with valuable advice, and my goal remains No. 1.

Last weekend, Danish star Rune was spotted at the Washington tournament training grounds, standing next to Andre Agassi—this scene sparked a buzz in the tennis community. Currently ranked ninth in the world, Rune revealed in an interview on Sunday that his collaboration with Agassi is more of a mentorship rather than a formal coach-student relationship. Before the North American hard court season began, the two engaged in three days of targeted training together.

Rune profile picture.

"A few months ago, I reached out to him," Rune disclosed in the interview, "First of all, he is an incredible person, full of wisdom, and his unique perspective on the game is something I have never experienced before." The retired Agassi, who hung up his racquet in 2006, has recently returned to the tennis scene, serving not only as a coach for the World Team at the Laver Cup but also as a commentator during this year's French Open.

When Agassi retired in 2006, Rune was only three years old. "As a legendary idol, everyone knows about him and his style, so when I reached out to him, I believed he could offer me valuable guidance." Currently, Rune's team still centers around long-time coach Lars Christensen, but he is eager for fresh perspectives. "Now that I'm ranked eighth in the world (ninth this week), any advice that can help me improve is worth listening to. I know I have immense potential, and I'm aware that I can do even better. He (Agassi) is helping me achieve that, and we are still in contact, so these three days were just the beginning. He provided me with some advice, and then I tried to feel it out on the training court. Having his guidance is incredibly exciting."

After his surprising victory over Djokovic at the 2022 Paris Masters, Rune experienced frequent changes in his coaching team: from on-and-off relationships with Serena Williams' former coach Mouratoglou to brief collaborations with Becker (Djokovic's former coach) and Luthi (Federer's former coach), his ranking slipped from a career-high No. 4 to No. 17 last summer. It wasn't until he reunited with Christensen that the Danish star returned to the top 10, reaching the finals at the Indian Wells tournament this spring and then defeating Alcaraz to win the title in Barcelona.

"During my growth phase, I mostly listened to one coach's voice, but later on, I frequently changed coaches, which had a greater impact," Rune said. "Since I resumed working with Lars (Christensen), I haven't discussed tennis with anyone else. Now my foundational play is solid, and I'm in good form, so I think it's a great time to seek advice from Agassi. While it's not magic, he does offer some very wise suggestions. His return of serve is exceptional; although mine is also good, he provides me with advice on how to improve. He communicates a lot with my coach and shares his experiences."

In light of the current dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz, who have claimed the last seven Grand Slam titles, Rune exhibits a clear understanding: "For some players, the gap between them and (Sinner, Alcaraz) is significant, but for others, the difference isn't that large. I believe I'm in the latter category. My tennis potential is very high, so what I need to do is maintain stability. I don't need to feel like I must play extraordinary tennis to beat them."

"It depends on what your goals are," Rune further stated. "If you're only satisfied with being fifth, tenth, or twentieth in the world, some players don't need to put in extra effort. My goal has always been to be world No. 1, and it still is. I believe I can achieve that. I also know I need to make some changes, which is one of the reasons I reached out to Andre (Agassi). I wanted to hear his thoughts." He added, "I have the experience of having beaten Alcaraz, Sinner, and Djokovic before, which definitely boosts my confidence. However, reaching the finals every week and beating them are two different things. More importantly, it's about consistently making it to major finals; that's my current goal."

(Compiled by Wang Fei, Photo/Visual China)