Holger Rune has been backed as a potential Australian Open winner.
Compatriot and former Wimbledon doubles winner Frederik Lochte Nielsen believes that Rune is a contender for every Grand Slam crown.
Nielsen feels that the Australian Open takes place with Rune well placed to mount a serious challenge.
He fears that the one thing that might derail Rune is the summer heat in Melbourne.
“I feel that as good as Holger is, I expect him to compete for the title every time he enters a Grand Slam,” Nielsen told SpilXperten.
“He is extremely fast on the court. The tournaments in Basel, and Paris and Turin were a bit different because they were indoors.
“Melbourne can be extremely hot and humid. That’s not something you experience in Paris or Basel indoors. So, that’s something to consider as well.”
Nielsen believes that Rune has the perfect blend of speed and power for the fast hard courts of Melbourne.
“But he’s extremely fast from the baseline, which means he can withstand hard-hitters, and he’s good at moving forward and following up at the net,” he added.
“He has a lot of weapons to trouble his opponents. He has really improved his serving, and he’s good at returning.”
“He is a good all-round player, capable of playing on all surfaces, and he adapts well to different playing conditions.”
Rune is committed to grinding hard to keep up with the best players in the world and hopes to join the ranks of Grand Slam winners.
“I improved a lot, both mentally, physically. I really took everything much more serious I would say and I was really determined to push every single day, every tournament I played,” Rune told ATPTour.com.
“I feel like after the US Open swing, I really worked even harder and I got to the level where I wanted to be.
“I thought I was working hard, but then my results weren’t there, and then I worked 10 times harder. I think it’s always been like that,” Rune said.
“When I want something, I’m willing to do whatever it takes. And last year, I was not satisfied with where I was at that moment. And I thought, ‘Okay, there’s one way and it’s to put your foot down and just work’.”
Rune starts his season as the top seed at the Brisbane International with that tournament set to serve as his only preparation for the Grand Slam.