Holger Rune has been told to toughen up mentally following his disappointing exit from the Australian Open as his coach Boris Becker admitted there are a lot of areas he needs to improve.
Tipped for a deep run at this year’s season-opening Grand Slam, eighth seed Rune was bounced from the tournament in the second round as he suffered a 6-7 (4-7) 4-6 6-4 3-6 defeat against world No 122 Arthur Cazaux.
He has now made consecutive early exits from majors as he lost in the first round at the US Open in August last year and Becker believes the 20-year-old needs to work on the mental side of his game.
“He’s got a very quick arm, he’s got a lot of firepower, he’s got a lot of inspiration on the court, but at the same time that’s the problem,” he told Eurosport. “It’s knowing when to do what.
“So talking about tactics, when to accelerate, when to take chances and when you play defensively, it’s always a fine line when to do what.
“Losing the first set in the tie-break and then losing your very first service game in the second set, those are the moments he has to improve mentally.”
Another area that is considered a weakness is Rune’s forehand and Becker explained how he can make adjustments.
“He needs to use the heavy topspin a bit more,” the former world No 1 added. “Now and then it’s a bit flat or he hits a half-volley from the baseline, which on good days is a trick shot and on bad days you hit it with the frame out.
“So the average needs to be a little higher and I would want him to play with a heavier topspin.”
Becker started working with the Dane in October last year following a nightmare run during the North American hard-court swing and under his tutelage Rune has taken some steps forward.
Tennis great Roger Federer’s former coach Severn Luthi also joined the set-up in December last year and it is a welcome addition for Becker as he admitted it will give him time to fulfill “other obligations”.
“I call him a rough diamond, you just have to shape him a little bit,” he added. “I was very happy we could have Severin Luthi join the team because coaching Holger is full-time for 52 weeks a year and I have other obligations so we’re going to find a way where sometimes he coaches him, sometimes I do and sometimes we do it together.
“Let’s see how it plays out.”
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