Holger Rune is watching his peers race ahead. Carlos Alcaraz already has five Grand Slams, and Jannik Sinner just lifted his fourth at Wimbledon. Rune, meanwhile, is trying to steady his own ship after an up-and-down season. He’s shown flashes of brilliance, like when he won the Barcelona title by defeating Alcaraz, but he’s also had six first-round exits in 2025 alone. So the Dane has decided it’s time for a reset. And he’s called in a big name for help: none other than Andre Agassi. But he’s keeping what the legend taught him quite close to his chest!
It all began with a text message. Then came a phone call. Eventually, the two met in Washington, D.C., for a three-day training block ahead of the Mubadala Citi DC Open. Rune chose the very court where Agassi won five titles during his storied career. Although the World No.9 had to withdraw from the event with back pain, the sessions with Agassi still left a mark. He was quick to absorb whatever he could. Now that his back is feeling better, Rune has landed in Toronto and opened up about what it was like to train with the American legend.
“What he tried to explain to me is that he wanted my tennis to be a bit slower and he thinks I can do things much easier with my power and quality in my shots, and believes I should do more things than I usually do,” Rune said on media day, according to Puntodebreak. But he was careful about not revealing everything as he said, “Essentially, it’s about finding balance, and that’s what we have been working on. He surprised me with some things he explained in training sessions and also about how to play tiebreaks. I won’t share the secrets he gave me, but I was amazed by his perspective on tennis and playing.”
FILE PHOTO-Tennis – ATP Masters 1000 – Shanghai Masters – Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena, Shanghai, China – October 6, 2023 Denmark’s Holger Rune in action during his Round of 64 match against Brandon Nakashima of the U.S. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo
Agassi is not replacing Rune’s coach. Lars Christensen, his childhood and current coach, still runs the show. But the mentorship from the 8-time Grand Slam champion is a sign that Rune is trying to search for new ways to sharpen his game.
He’s revamping more than just his game plan. Holger Rune is also bringing in new muscle to his team, literally. The Dane is now working with Marco Panichi, a fitness mastermind.
Holger Rune opens up on the new addition to his team
Panichi is no stranger to elite tennis. He was with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic from 2017 until April 2024. That’s not all. He then joined World No.1 Jannik Sinner’s team last September, along with physio Ulises Badio. But just before Wimbledon 2025, Sinner parted ways with both of them. That’s when Rune stepped in.
Panichi will officially begin working with Rune at the Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, which kicks off on August 7. The 22-year-old is hoping the new collaboration will give him an edge. “At that moment, I didn’t have any physio, I tried with him for a couple of days in Monaco and it was a challenge for me with the exercises he made me do,” Rune said. “He focuses a lot on coordination and biomechanics, and I think he challenges me in certain ways that I had never been challenged before. Additionally, with his experience working for so many years with Djokovic and his brief time with Sinner, I have seen that he can connect fitness with tennis and I believe he has a spectacular talent for it, and I am very excited to work with him.”
With Panichi on board and Agassi offering insight, Holger Rune is aiming to make up lost ground. The World No.9 has a golden shot this week in Toronto. Alcaraz, Sinner, Djokovic, and Draper have all withdrawn from the Masters 1000 event, leaving the draw wide open.
He is going all in for this hard-court swing. Can all the changes finally turn promise into results?
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