Holger Rune reveals the best advice he’s received from Novak Djokovic 

PARIS — To be the best, you have to learn from the best. For Holger Rune, that means getting direct advice from none other than Novak Djokovic.

The 22-year-old Dane heads into Roland Garros hoping to end a turbulent clay-court season on a high. Despite capturing the title in Barcelona, Rune’s momentum stalled—first due to illness in Monte Carlo, then a knee injury in Madrid. He was later edged out in a tight third-round match in Rome by Corentin Moutet, 7-5, 5-7, 7-6 (4).

Rune later revealed on social media that he was still battling the throat infection that began during Indian Wells and lingered through Monte Carlo. He withdrew from Hamburg to rest and recover in time for Paris.

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Now, the No. 11 seed is just eager to put the whole ordeal behind him and focus on the tennis.

“Feeling good again,” Rune said in a pre-tournament press conference. “It’s been not ideal clay preparation for me, but I’m happy to be here in Paris. It’s a tournament that I love so much… Had a good practice week so far, so I’m just looking forward to start.”

Rune also spoke about his strong rapport with Novak Djokovic, at the 24-time Grand Slam champ is currently playing in Geneva as part of his own Roland Garros preparations.

“Definitely Novak has been really, really nice to me all my career,” Rune said.

He recalled their earliest interactions—especially as a 16-year-old hitting partner at the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals, where he helped warm up greats like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic.

But it was his time with the Serbian champion that made the most lasting impression—not just because of Djokovic’s friendly nature, but for the invaluable advice he freely shared.

“He was always really nice,” Rune said. “He was really kind to me. He was giving me advice and stuff like that. I really appreciated that.

“He’s obviously one of the best that we’ve had. It feels like a big privilege that he has been so nice.”

So what was the most impactful advice from Djokovic? Rune recalled a practice session where they were trading crosscourt forehands when Djokovic offered this insight:

“One specific thing he told me... I think in general young players as they grow up, they get more power and they’re more excited about their power,” Rune explained. “I feel like sometimes you go for all or nothing…

“He said him, personally, he would suggest to me never to go more than 70, 80 percent on every shot, to make sure it’s safe enough, but still with good quality.”

“I think his game shows pretty good that he’s not risking much, but at the same time he has tremendous quality on his shots,” Rune added. “That’s one thing he told me.”

Seeded 10th at Roland Garros, Rune will face Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round on Sunday.

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