Holger Rune talks Andre Agassi DC collaboration: “He sees the game in a unique way”

WASHINGTON, DC—Holger Rune broke the tennis internet over the weekend when he arrived to the Mubadala Citi DC Open for a practice overseen by none other than Andre Agassi.

The world No. 8 confirmed Sunday that the arrangement with Agassi is more of a mentorship than an official coaching partnership, the former world No. 1 working with Rune for a three-day training bloc ahead of the US Open swing.

“I reached out to him some months ago,” Rune told me during a Media Day interview. “He’s an amazing man, first of all, and he’s very wise, as well. He sees the game in a unique way that I’ve never experienced before.”

I thought now was a good moment to reach out to Agassi because my base is back and I’m playing well again. When you’re changing coaches a lot, you don’t play as well because you’re not following one opinion or a single structure. I thought this was the right time to get some extra input...It’s not anything magic, but he obviously had some very wise words I can use. Holger Rune

Agassi retired from tennis in 2006 with eight Grand Slam titles and having spent 101 weeks atop the ATP rankings. The four-time Australian Open champion has re-entered the tennis fold of late, signing on to become Laver Cup’s Team World coach and working as an analyst during this year’s Roland Garros.

“He’s obviously an icon, so everybody knows him, his style and everything,” smiled Rune, himself a bourgeoning style icon. “So, I thought when I reached out him, he would be a good guy to get some mentoring from.”

Rune, who was only three years old when Agassi first hung up his racquets, studied the Hall of Famer on YouTube, and was eager for a fresh perspective to complement that of childhood and now current coach Lars Christensen.

“Right now, I’m No. 8 in the world, and anything that can help me get higher in the rankings, I’m happy to hear and listen,” said Rune.

“I obviously have big potential and I know I can do a lot better. He was trying to help me achieve that. We’re still in contact and everything, so those three days was a kind of beginning of feeling things out, him giving me some advice, and me trying to do it on the court to see how it feels. It was just very exciting to see his point of view.”

Seeded third at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, Rune first broke onto the tennis scene in 2022 when she shocked Novak Djokovic to win his first Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Paris Maris in Paris-Bercy. At the time, Rune was working with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, famous for his work with Serena Williams. What followed was a period of upheaval for Rune, who split from and got back together with Mouratoglou before ending things for good in 2024.

In between, he formed brief partnerships with Boris Becker and Severin Luthi, longtime coaches of Djokovic and Roger Federer, respectively. From a career-high ranking of No. 4, Rune tumbled to a low of No. 17 last summer, finally returning to the Top 10 after a reunion with Christensen. He reached a Masters 1000 final at the BNP Paribas Open and won a 500-level title over Carlos Alcaraz in Barcelona, but has struggled elsewhere as he heads into the second half of the season where he's defending semifinal points in four tournaments in the next three months.

“I mainly listened to one voice growing up, but as I had more coaching changes, it was natural for more people to have greater influence. Since I’ve been with Lars, I hadn’t really talked to anyone else about my tennis. I thought now was a good moment to reach out to Agassi because my base is back and I’m playing well again.

“When you’re changing coaches, you don’t play as well because you’re not following one opinion or a single structure. I thought this was the right time to get some extra input, but let’s see how it’s going to work. It’s not anything magic, but he obviously had some very wise words I can use.”

If you’re happy to stick around and be No. 5, 10, 15, or 20 in the world, some players can do that without doing more...My goal was always to be No. 1; it still is, and I believe I can do it. I also believe there’s a few things I need to do differently. That’s one of the reasons why I reached out to Andre, to hear his point of view. Holger Rune

All business on the practice court, the Dane was mainly after technical and tactical advice from Agassi, a player known as much for his metronomic consistency and explosive ground game as his mental toughness.

“He had an amazing return,” added Rune. “I have a great return, as well, but he gave me some tips on how to make it even better. He also talked a lot with my coach, Lars, sharing his experience. The goal, he thinks, is for me to try and make things move a lot more slowly on my side of the court.”

The subtext of any conversation with an ATP player in 2025 is undoubtedly the widening gap between the field and the ATP’s Top 2 players, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner and Alcaraz have split the last seven majors and faced off in the last two finals. A junior contemporary of both men, Rune has beaten both men twice—toppling Alcaraz to win an ATP 500 in Barcelona this spring—but is aware more can be done to match their major results.

“I think [the gap] is very distant for some, but for some others, they’re not that far away,” Rune mused. “I’m going include myself when I say we’re not that far away. I see my high end of tennis to be really, really high, so I just have to lift the button, really, and stay more consistent to win more matches. I do need to stop feeling like I need to play spectacular tennis all the time to beat them.”

With the current power structure beginning to mirror the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal duopoly of the late 2000s, Rune refuses to become complacent in his efforts to rival Sinner and Alcaraz.

“It all comes down to what you want. If you’re happy to stick around and be No. 5, 10, 15, or 20 in the world, some players can do that without doing more. That’s not really my goal. My goal was always to be No. 1; it still is, and I believe I can do it. I also believe there’s a few things I need to do differently. That’s one of the reasons why I reached out to Andre, to hear his point of view.

“It obviously does help my confidence to know I’ve shown a level that can beat Carlos, Jannik, and Novak. That helps the belief, of course. On the other hand, there’s a difference between just beating them and making into those big finals week in, week out. That’s one of my goals now.”