“Fell on the last hurdle” - Holger Rune’s coach Boris Becker says Grigor Dimitrov was the “better player” in Brisbane final

Holger Rune’s coach Boris Becker has lauded the youngster’s strong start to the new season. The Dane narrowly missed the mark against Grigor Dimitrov in the 2024 Brisbane International final.

Rune had been struggling with a back injury in the last few months of the 2023 season. Despite working hard on his fitness, he suffered early exits at the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals in Turin.

Six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker joined Rune’s team in October as his full-time coach. Now that the Dane is off to a good start to 2024, Becker commended his performance and also congratulated Dimitrov for a successful week of tennis.

"Good first tournament of the year for @holgerrune2003 ! After the winter break, we got 5 matches against quality opponents, unfortunately fell on the last hurdle. But we want to congratulate @GrigorDimitrov ( who was the better player today) Onwards and upwards! Melbourne next,” Becker wrote on X.

Holger Rune will be aiming to continue the momentum and open his account at Grand Slam tournaments this year. One of the most promising young talents in men's tennis, he has already clinched a Masters 1000 title (Paris 2022), along with three other titles - two at the Munich Open (2022 and 2023) and one at the Stockholm Open (2022).

The Dane began his campaign in Brisbane with a hard-fought win over local favorite Max Purcell. He then outclassed the likes of James Duckworth and Roman Safiulin en route to the final but came up just shy against the in-form Grigor Dimitrov.

The 32-year-old veteran used his experience and variety to beat Rune 7-6 (5), 6-4.

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Holger Rune’s record at the Australian Open

Holger Rune : 2024 Brisbane International: Day 8

World No. 8 Holger Rune will be making his third appearance at the Australian Open this year. The youngster registered an early first-round exit in 2022, but showcased his potential in 2023, reaching the fourth round.

He defeated the likes of Filip Krajinovic, Maxime Cressy and Ugo Humbert on his way to the last 16, but lost to world No. 5 Andrey Rublev. The Russian outlasted Rune in an absorbing five-set contest.

The 20-year-old will be hoping to improve on his performance from last year and make a big impact at the Melbourne Park Arena this time around. He will be among the top 10 seeds at the 2024 Australian Open.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, who is yet to feature on the men’s tour this year, will be the top seed and defending champion at the event. The 2024 Australian Open begins on January 14.