Holger Rune is preparing for the Western & Southern Open, ATP Masters 1000 on the Cincinnati hard-courts. The Dane talked about his countrywoman Caroline Wozniacki, on her return to the circuit, which recently took place in the 1000 Montreal.
The Danish tennis reached its peak in 2010 when Wozniacki reached the first position in the world rankings, which she held until 2012, then regained it in 2018, with the long-awaited Grand Slam victory at the Australian Open, in a hard-fought final against Simona Halep.
Today, a few years later, Denmark has another star, now fully established: it is the young Rune, who has recently reached the world Top-5, despite the recent defeat in the first round in Toronto. Rune said about Wozniacki: “After 3 years without tennis it’s hard to come back and win matches: it’s exceptional and she’s playing very well.
I watched her from the sofa with my family; when she won the Australian Open it was great.”
Rune: “Caroline’s win in Australia inspired me”
The spectacular match against Simona Halep in 2018 led Wozniacki to win her first Grand Slam title, and Rune said he lived that moment with great passion: “It was very inspiring to watch a Danish player win a Grand Slam, no one from our country was there succeeded before and seeing her triumph made me believe that I can do it too.” Recently, the two Danish tennis stars had the opportunity to train together and share an interview.
If, on the one hand, Wozniacki took the opportunity to underline the young man’s great talent, Rune did not hold back on his compatriot’s game: “She has an impressive backhand, but men’s and women’s tennis are different; the backhand and her fighting spirit allowed her to become number 1 and to win a Grand Slam: they are her best strengths.” Ultimately, a present and a future that promise to be bright.
Rune will try to recover the premature elimination accrued at the Toronto Masters 1000 and reach New York with an important result behind him.