Meet Holger Rune, the Danish “bad boy” of Tennis

Holger Rune is a rising star in tennis – but the young Danish athlete’s already seen his fair share of controversy.
The 21-year-old has already bagged a Nike endorsement and millions in prize money, but regularly makes headlines for his bad temper.

Holger Vitus Nødskov Rune wants to be the world’s number one tennis player and win grand slams – but he may first have to grow up. The 21-year-old won the 2022 Rolex Paris Masters, defeating Novak Djokovic, but has already earned a “bad boy” reputation for his on- and off-court antics, with a roller coaster career so far that has involved feuds with other tennis players. Here’s what we know about him:
He followed his sister into tennis
Holger Rune started playing tennis from a young age.

Born on April 29, 2003, in Copenhagen, Rune started playing tennis when he was three years old. It has been widely reported that his sister Alma, who is now a model, first started playing tennis and Holger followed in her footsteps. In a profile on the ATP Tour website, Alma even joked that Rune was “quite lazy” when it came to fitness training back then, adding that he was “chubby” and “loved cake” as a child.
He’s had a revolving door of coaches

Rune has created waves in the tennis world for his all-court-game and play at the net. In June, Rune faced-off against German pro tennis player Alexander Zverev in a five-set thriller in the French Open, but Zverev beat him and advanced to the quarter finals.

All eyes have been on Rune as the Danish player faces issues of consistency in his game. In part, this has been attributed to his bad history with coaches. In February, Rune made headlines after Boris Becker confirmed he would be stepping down as Rune’s head coach after less than four months in the job. The announcement came hot on the heels of news that Roger Federer’s former coach Severin Lüthi had also left the youngster due to scheduling difficulties. Rune said he needed “people who know me, who can be there all the time”. He has since hired Patrick Mouratoglou, a French coach whose tennis academy he attended as a 13-year-old, per Tennis.com.

Rune has been known to show his emotions on the court, play aggressively and addresses on-court incidents on social media. When he was 18, he was fined after being caught on camera making homophobic comments during a match on the Challenger Tour. At the Madrid Open in 2023 the umpire gave Rune a talking to after he argued a replay and the crowd booed him during the game, as reported by Eurosport.

A New York Times article said of Rune: “Tennis needs winners. It also needs villains. Rune intends to be both.” Rune has admitted that he needs to control his emotions, and to work on his mental state during games. The tennis player has also dismissed his bad boy reputation, saying at the 2023 Rome Masters: “I play with a lot of passion and energy when I’m on the court. I think many players do that. I don’t know why that should be a bad boy thing.”

His rivalry with Casper Ruud

In 2022, Norwegian player Casper Ruud beat Rune in the quarter finals in the French Open. After the game ended, Rune was accused of being a sore loser after a “frosty handshake” was captured on video.
The nature of Holger Rune’s frosty handshake with Casper Ruud was debated in tennis circles. Photo: @atptour/Instagram
The nature of Holger Rune’s frosty handshake with Casper Ruud was debated in tennis circles. Photo: @atptour/Instagram
In the video, Ruud is seen briefly shaking his head at Rune’s response. Per Eurosport, the incident was widely debated in tennis circles, adding to Rune’s “bad boy” image. Rune claimed that Ruud shouted in his face after the game. “He should have had more respect,” Rune told Danish publication Ekstra Bladet. The feud between the two then involved their parents, with Ruud’s father Christian saying “it is simply a lie from Holger”. But Rune’s mother, Aneke, insisted the allegation was true: “One thing is that you shout in my son’s face. Another thing is that the father is lying to the press.” Rune was also repeatedly filmed saying “leave” and after his mother left the stadium shortly after, it was presumed he was shouting at her. According to Eurosport, Rune denied this saying it was to “another person”.
The future of tennis
Rune is stacking up endorsement deals and prize money from his tennis career. Photo: @rolexparismasters/Instagram
Rune is stacking up endorsement deals and prize money from his tennis career. Photo: @rolexparismasters/Instagram
Bad boy or just extremely passionate, Rune has emerged as one of the top next generation tennis players who has got the attention of fans of the sport. Per TennisMajors, Rune has already earned US$8.31 million in prize money alone. He has endorsement deals with Nike, Denmark’s State drinks, PurePower and Babolat. On Instagram, he has more than 868,000 followers, and on X he has over 82,000 followers.