"Pretty OCD" Madison Keys anticipates need for umbrella and tape during US Open bid with Frances Tiafoe

The two former junior Grand Slam champions have come up the ATP and WTA ranks together, and will round out the six-team event taking place this summer.

ByDavid Kane

Published Apr 04, 2023

MATCH POINT: Pavlyuchenkova/Thiem def. Mirza/Rune; World Tennis League Final

WATCH: Rune played mixed doubles over the off-season as part of the World Tennis League.

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The future of Danish tennis is brighter than ever thanks to rising ATP and WTA stars Holger Rune and Clara Tauson, who will pair up and round out the six-team Hopman Cup taking place in Nice this summer.

“Hope to see a lot of Danish flags,” Rune tweeted with a promotional image of himself and his childhood friend.

Hopman Cup was once a fixture on the tennis calendar at the start of each season, but the popular mixed event ended in 2019 in favor of events like ATP, and now United, Cup.

This will be fun. Hope to see a lot of Danish flags in Nice this summer 🇩🇰🦾 https://t.co/MhAYEXru1y
— Holger Rune (@holgerrune2003) April 4, 2023

"Clara and I know each other very well, and I'm delighted to be able to play with her,” the world No. 8 added in an ITF press release. We've played doubles on the junior circuit before and we were undefeated then.

"I am delighted to be able to participate in this competition, which I have always followed."

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Both these players will be in action next week at ATP/WTA tournaments. Holger Rune on the left in Argentina, Clara Tauson on the right in Lyon. This is when they won the Danish U12 mixed doubles championship. Rune is taller now than Tauson, but not by much :) pic.twitter.com/ykYELZFvX0
— Mark Nixon (@markalannixon) February 23, 2021

Rune and Tauson indeed go way back—check out that tbt!—having competed in parallel with one another on their respective junior circuits and each winning a junior Grand Slam title in 2019. Tauson triumphed at the Australian Ope while Rune won Roland Garros.

Tauson took home her first two WTA titles in 2021 and peaked at No. 33 in the rankings last February, but has struggled with injuries since.

Holger Rune on his relationship with Clara Tauson and the growth of tennis in Denmark post Wozniacki. pic.twitter.com/Ek82VeMRU1
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) May 24, 2021

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“She was practicing a little with my coach when she was younger,” Rune said back in 2021. “I’m just happy that tennis in Denmark is getting bigger because before—we had [Caroline] Wozniacki, of course—it was very small and we didn’t have a lot of players.

“Now, they’re getting more focused on it, more press, more everything. I think that’s very positive and hopefully we’ll get some tournaments one day!”

It has been a heavy news week for the 2022 Roland Garros quarterfinalist, who announced on Monday that he would part ways with Patrick Mouratoglou, who presided over his team through a career breakthrough that included a maiden Masters 1000 title in Paris last fall.

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