"I'm always motivated, even before he won the Slams" - Holger Rune on whether Carlos Alcaraz's Wimbledon success inspired him ahead of Canadian Open

Holger Rune is currently in Montreal gearing up for the 2023 National Bank Open, where he spoke about his motivations in reference to Carlos Alcaraz's Wimbledon win.

The Dane had a quarterfinal finish at this year's Wimbledon. He then withdrew from the Croatia Open due to a lower back injury. After almost two months of treatment and recovery, Rune will be back in action at the tournament in Canada.

In a pre-tournament press conference, the 20-year-old was asked whether Carlos Alcaraz's Wimbledon win gave him extra motivation to pursue a Grand Slam title.

Keeping his response short and crisp, Holger Rune replied that he was focused on his own goals that he still had the remainder. He asserted that his motivation is to do his best and remain unaffected by Alcaraz's trajectory.

"I'm always very motivated even before he won the Slams. I have my goals that I want to acheive and I have chances to acheive it this year also and I'm going to go for it," Rune said.

After claiming his first title of the season at the Munich Open, Rune will now be eyeing his second title at the tournament that will begin on Monday, August 7.

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Holger Rune and Carlos Alcaraz in the same half of the National Bank Open 2023

Holger Rune at the 2023 Wimbledon

Placed in the same half as per the draw announced on Friday, August 4, Holger Rune and Carlos Alcaraz might face each other in the semifinals of the 2023 National Bank Open.

This will be both players' first appearance since their quarterfinal clash at Wimbledon this year.

Alcaraz previously competed in the 2022 edition of the tournament where he lost in the opening round to Tommy Paul. However, the reigning US Open and Wimbledon champion has come a long way since then and is likely to be one of the strong players in running for the title.

Holger Rune also made an opening round exit in his previous outing at the tournament in 2022 against Pablo Carreno Busta. Rune has gone from strength to strength since then, with an impressive 37-13 win-loss record this season and is on track to book his maiden spot in the ATP Finals.

He will be looking to claim his second title of the season at the tournament.

Both players have received a first-round bye. While Carlos Alcaraz will face the winner between Ben Shelton and Bernabe Zapata Miralles, Rune will clash with the winner between Emil Ruusuvuori and Marcos Giron in the second round.

Other contenders for the title in Toronto include Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev.