"Holger Rune thinks like someone big" - Alex Corretja explains why Boris Becker is the perfect coach for 'fearless' Dane

Alex Corretja believes Holger Rune has landed the perfect coach for himself in six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker, especially since the Danish youngster has a lot of traits in common with the German icon.

Rune and Becker began their partnership earlier this year after the former's split with Patrick Mouratoglou. The World No. 8 immediately got off to a good start and ended up qualifying for the year-end ATP Finals.

Speaking in a recent interview with Eurosport, former World No. 2 Alex Corretja lavished praise on Rune, hailing him as a fearless player who was not afraid of his own ambitions.

“Holger is fearless. He's young and he's just going with the flow. He feels like he can be in top of the world and he says it. It's great. I like when they say those things," Alex Corretja said.

"As long as you are not cocky, as long as you are not someone that doesn't show respect for the opponents, as long as you understand that you can be very ambitious, but at the same time, it's very good to be humble because you can have these high expectations, but you need to know how difficult they are," he added.

The Spaniard believes Holger Rune has the potential to reach the lofty heights he has set his eyes on. Corretja said the Dane needs someone in his team who has experience with that line of thinking and can help him add to his self-belief.

“I think Holger Rune, he came up in the tour and he felt like, ‘No, I can beat this guy. The best in history? I don't care.’ Well, it's good, but then you need to know how to do it in order not to become someone who has expectations that are not where they should be. But I think Holger can aim high because he's got the potential,” Alex Corretja said.

“He [Rune] thinks like someone big. When you have someone next to you that understands what that means and who can help you with that, I noticed that he has more self-belief,” he added.

Corretja thinks Boris Becker, who coached World No. 1 Novak Djokovic to six Grand Slams and several other titles during their three years together, is the "perfect" coach for the 20-year-old Rune.

“He needs to know the important moments, how to manage different situations, how to control his emotions, how to not spend energy in things that are not worth it. And I think with Boris, he's going to understand that," Corretja said.

"Boris can help him because he was a star then he was a great coach, and he's been with players that were No. 1. So if he wants to become good, I think Boris is a perfect combination for him. Both of them are people that have huge expectations on their minds," he added.

"Holger Rune has an unbelievable work ethic, he plays well in every surface" - Alex Corretja

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Alex Corretja added that Holger Rune, while having an explosive game, has to know how to deal with other things off the court. At the same time, the former World No. 2 is certain that Rune is learning and growing, and that he has what it takes to have an "unbelievable" 2024 season.

"He's got a very explosive character, also explosive game, and he needs to know how to deal with some other things, not just tennis-wise. But Holger Rune's learning, he's growing. He has an unbelievable work ethic. He's got talent. He plays well in every surface. There is no reason to think that he's not going to have an unbelievable 2024," Alex Corretja said.