Andy Roddick gets honest about how Holger Rune compares with Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner as of now

Holger Rune was No. 4 in the world in August of 2023, but since then the Danish player has failed to really live up to that early success in his career, trailing behind contemporary rivals such as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Both of those players have won Grand Slams in the meantime, while Rune hasn't.

He hasn't even made a final and actually slid back in the rankings, dropping out of the Top 10 in April of 2024. Former player Andy Roddick, who peaked at No. 1 in the rankings and won a Grand Slam trophy in his career, talked about Rune in his most recent episode of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, framing just where in his career he is, compared to Sinner and Alcaraz. He said [19:50 onwards]:

"Alcaraz and Sinner are seemingly going to be all-time great and Holger Rune is still kind of trying to find a coach that he can have a relatiosnhip wtih more than four or five months at a time and an identify as a player. It feels like sometimes he's playing defensive, sometimes he's playing offensive. It seems like he's looking to his box for guidance sometimes."

Rune has indeed struggled in many ways on the courts. Not only has he failed to really find a coach, but his tennis has suffered because of it. There is no identity, as Roddick pointed out, and fellow former player Jim Courier succinctly said that Rune's tactics change way too frequently.

"Jim Courier has said that the strategy changes day to day. There is so much raw potential that's obvious... He's beaten the best players in the world. He's beaten Novak Djokovic a couple of times... so lots to like with Holger Rune, but still a lot of inconsistency," Roddick added.

This season is a pivotal one in Rune's career because he can't allow to keep falling behind his contemporaries, otherwise he risks being forgotten in tennis history.

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Bad start for Holger Rune in 2025

Last year was a pretty lackluster year for Holger Rune, even though he was able to increase his win number compared to the previous year. He had one more win last year but less meaningful results. In 2023, Rune won a trophy and made two finals, qualifying for the ATP Finals.

Last year, he made only one final and failed to qualify for the ATP Finals, so even though he won more, it was objectively a worse season. The only final he made last year came in Brisbane, where he opted to start the 2025 season as well. It didn't go that well because he lost in the first round to Jiri Lehecka 5-7, 3-6. While he started last year with a final in Brisbane, this year it started with a first-round loss.