Rune teams up with Agassi to aim for world number one: I don't believe there's a significant gap between me and Sinner or Alcaraz.

Recently, Danish player Rune's collaboration with tennis legend Agassi has attracted public attention. In a pre-tournament interview at the Washington Open, he candidly stated that hiring Agassi was to help him achieve his dream of becoming world number one. Furthermore, he expressed that, despite what many believe, he doesn't see a large gap between himself and the current "two giants" of tennis.

When discussing Rune, many people would say, "Despite his exceptional talent, he has been wasting it." This statement holds some truth; although he gained fame at a young age, Rune's career has not been smooth sailing. After winning the Paris Masters in 2022, he faced frequent changes in his coaching team—from Mouratoglou to Becker and then to Luthier—resulting in his ranking plummeting from a career-high of fourth to seventeenth. It wasn't until he reunited with his youth coach, Christensen, last year that Rune returned to the top 10. This season, he reached the finals in Indian Wells and claimed victory over Alcaraz in the Barcelona finals, showing signs of resurgence.

However, following that, Rune's performance did not continue to rise. Early exits at the French Open and Wimbledon doused the Danish player's hopes and made him realize that he needed to make some changes to break free from his current situation.

“I reached out to Agassi a few months ago,” Rune revealed about the collaboration's origin. “He is an incredible person, full of wisdom, with unique insights into the game.”

Although Agassi retired in 2006 when Rune was only three years old, the Danish star holds great respect for the legend: “As a legendary idol, everyone knows him and his style, so when I contacted him, I believed he could offer me valuable guidance.”

Unlike the frequent changes in his previous coaching teams, Rune clearly stated that his collaboration with Agassi is of a "mentorship nature." In the interview, he mentioned that Agassi's arrival wouldn't cause a "team earthquake"; his core training team remains his long-time coach, Christensen, while the team hopes Agassi can provide “new perspectives and different experiences.”

“My foundational playing style is solid, and I'm in good form, so now is the right time to seek advice from Agassi,” Rune analyzed. “He has given some very wise suggestions, especially regarding serve and return techniques.”

When asked about his goals in collaborating with Agassi, Rune's response was decisive: “If you're satisfied being fifth, tenth, or twentieth in the world, some players don't need to push themselves further. But my goal has always been to be number one in the world, and it still is. I believe I can achieve it.”

However, this goal seems unrealistic to many. Currently, men's tennis is firmly dominated by Sinner and Alcaraz, who have claimed the last seven Grand Slam titles. For Rune, ranked only eighth, overtaking Sinner and breaking this monopoly appears almost impossible.

Nevertheless, Rune shows an unusually clear self-awareness regarding this. “My potential in tennis is very high, so what I need to do is maintain stability,” he emphasized during an interview in Washington. “I don’t need to feel that I must play extraordinary tennis to beat them.”

Facing the media, he expressed great confidence in his potential: “For some players, the gap between them and Sinner or Alcaraz is significant, but for others, it's not as wide—I consider myself among the latter.”

However, such "boastful remarks" are not entirely unfounded; Rune indeed has considerable experience defeating top players. He recalls that at the age of 19, he came from behind to beat Djokovic in the final of the Paris Masters, becoming the first player to defeat five top 10 players in a single tournament, earning the title of "Danish prodigy."

“I have previous victories over Alcaraz, Sinner, and Djokovic, which certainly boosts my confidence,” Rune admitted. “However, reaching finals every week and defeating them are two different matters; what’s more important is consistently making it to major finals.”

However, Rune's stability remains his biggest shortcoming. The current ATP top ten career win percentage chart shows Rune at 65% (267 wins, 142 losses), placing him sixth, significantly behind Alcaraz's 80% and Sinner's 75%. Among the factors affecting him the most are injuries, and psychological instability has also become a key factor limiting his breakthroughs.

However, Agassi may be able to help him significantly. On one hand, Agassi's coaching experience is impressive; he collaborated with Djokovic from 2017 to 2018, helping him return to the top. Rune's invitation to Agassi clearly aims to replicate that successful model. On the other hand, Agassi had a legendary career, and his life experiences may offer Rune more support and insights. After addressing these issues and hiring Agassi, will Rune bring a new wave of impact? Let’s wait and see!(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Lu Xiaotian)