"Definitely good to have someone who has tried it himself" - Holger Rune on practicing with Boris Becker amid potential partnership rumors

World No. 6 Holger Rune recently disclosed how he feels about practicing with tennis legend Boris Becker, as rumors of a potential partnership between them keep brewing.

Rune was coached by Serena Williams' former coach Patrick Mouratoglou for nine months before their collaboration ended following the Dane's surprise first-round exit at the 2023 US Open.

The duo were fairly successful together as the 20-year-old won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Paris Masters last year and achieved a career-high ranking of World No. 4 under the guidance of the Frenchman.

Fans were thus wondering who would fill the vacuum left by Mouratoglou as Holger Rune had been plagued by injuries and had underperformed in the Canadian Open, Cincinnati Masters, China Open, Shanghai Masters and more.

However, things took a dramatic turn when the youngster posted a photo on Instagram of himself practicing with six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker in Monaco three days ago, prompting fans to believe that the German might be his next coach.

While nothing has been confirmed yet by either party, Holger Rune recently spoke with TV 2 Sport about spending time with such a high-profile tennis player. He claimed that knowing Becker for a long time smoothed out their interaction, and he had also received advice from the German when he was younger.

"It was a really good week of training. I have known Boris for a long time. He follows tennis a lot in general and he has written to me a few times. Also when I was a little younger, he gave me some tips and tricks. There he showed that he supports me," Rune said.

The Dane noted that it's a 'good thing' to have someone like Boris Becker around as the German understands his mentality since he used to be a tennis player too and had been in similar situations himself.

"You can feel it. That's really a big difference. He can feel what I'm feeling. He can't just say what he thinks I'm feeling, but he can feel it because he's been in those situations himself. So it's a different sensation and feeling. It is definitely a good thing to have someone who has tried it himself," Holger Rune said.

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Holger Rune set to defend his Stockholm Open title, eyes a spot in the ATP Finals

Holger Rune pictured at the 2023 China Open

Holger Rune is all set to defend his Stockholm Open title this week. He will open his campaign at the ATP 250 tournament against Miomir Kecmanovic in the second round, having received a first-round bye as the top seed.

Rune defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 in the tournament last year to win his second tour-level title, having won his first in Munich earlier in the year. It was also his first title with former coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

So, he will seek to replicate the fantastic end to the season he had in 2022 and a title win in Sweden will further solidify his chances of reserving a spot in the ATP Finals for the first time. He is currently eighth in the ATP Live Race to Turin, Italy.