"I was like, 'Rafael Nadal shouldn't retire'" - Holger Rune opens up about how practice session with Spaniard at Six Kings Slam inspired him

Danish tennis player Holger Rune recently reflected on an intense practice session with soon-retiring Rafael Nadal. Rune claimed of being astonished by the level the Spaniard produced even at 38 years old.

Nadal is set to call it a day after the Davis Cup knockouts, which is scheduled to run from November 19-24 in Malaga, Spain.

Rune, on the other hand, is in the spring of his tennis career, having turned pro in 2020. He, however, was challenged hard by the 22-time Grand Slam champion in a training session at the Six Kings Slam — an exhibition held mid-October in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The 21-year-old revealed the same while talking to Tennis Channel on the sidelines of the 2024 Paris Masters. He talked about drawing inspiration from Nadal and Novak Djokovic as well (at 2:51):

"I think inspiration is very good. But I’m just trying to be a beast, you know when I’m practising. I’m trying to push the limits as much as I can but definitely players like Djokovic and Rafa as well.

"I remember I was practising with Rafa in Riyadh and I was just surprised that the guy's almost retired and his intensity is still up there. I was like, ‘[He] Shouldn’t retire!,'" the Dane added.

The 2022 Paris Masters champion continued:

"He's had an unbelievable career, incredible. He has done so many things but you know, there’s a reason why he's Rafa, there's a reason why he's Novak, they just bring the effort everyday."

Rune is the seed No. 13 in Paris this year. He's already through to the Round of 16 on the back of straight-set wins against Matteo Arnaldi and Alexander Bublik. He's now scheduled to face local Arthur Cazaux for a spot in the quarterfinals.

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Holger Rune practised with Rafael Nadal ahead of the Spaniard's final French Open match

French Open Tennis Tournament. Roland-Garros 2024. - Source: Getty

Holger Rune had the opportunity to practise with Rafael Nadal ahead of the Spaniard's final appearance at the French Open, the tournament he championed a record 14 times.

The session, held at Court Suzanne Lenglen, was reportedly witnessed in person by 10,000 spectators, impressing Rune's staff member Mike James. James, an analyst, described the spectacle on X (formerly Twitter), writing:

"The most incredible practice I've been a part of today at Roland Garros. 10,000 in attendance"

Nadal used his protected ranking to compete at Roland Garros this year, drawing a tough opponent in the form of fourth seed Alexander Zverev in the first round. He lost the battle 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 drawing curtains to a historic saga at the Paris Major.

Interestingly, Holger Rune's campaign at the 2024 French Open also ended at the hands of Zverev in the fourth round (lost 4-6, 6-1, 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-2).