Holger Rune's Carlos Alcaraz-like energy gets the nod from John McEnroe's brother Patrick

Patrick McEnroe recently touched upon Holger Rune’s personality, likening his energy to that of Carlos Alcaraz.

Holger Rune and Carlos Alcaraz are unarguably the two biggest teenage talents that tennis has seen in the past year. The 19-year-olds, who broke inside the World’s Top-10 in 2022, now seem to have firmly cemented their place among the elite.

The young duo also share a similar passion and fire for the sport on-court. American former tennis player and John McEnroe’s brother Patrick McEnroe recently discussed Holger Rune’s personality and stated that he is appreciative that the Dane is equally as energetic and athletic as his Spanish counterpart.

“What I love about what he brings to the table is, he’s got the same kind of energy that Alcaraz has. You know, he’s very jumpy, extremely athletic,” the American said on the Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe podcast (now deleted episode).

But the similarity ends there. Unlike Alcaraz, Rune has also gained a reputation for his temperamental nature on the court. The World No. 7’s frequent outbursts have been deplored by his colleagues such as Casper Ruud, Stan Wawrinka and recently, Jannik Sinner. However, Patrick McEnroe opined that, within limits, personalities like that of Holger Rune are needed in tennis.

“I love him. I mean, he’s got the personality, of course, which has rubbed some of the players the wrong way in his first couple of years on tour. I think that he will evolve,” he said, adding, “I do think that you sort of get policed by the other players and you just, you’ve got to have a respect level.”

The 56-yar-old also mentioned the Dane’s latest outburst in the final against Andrey Rublev at the Monte-Carlos Masters.

“[He] hit a couple of balls out of the stands, which is an automatic fine -- if you do that, [if] you hit it into the crowd. The crowd started booing him,” he recalled, adding, “Tennis needs that. I don’t like it when you do stuff that is unsportsmanlike, to your opponent. But [I] like his personality.”

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"This guy is a potential Grand Slam winner" - Patrick McEnroe on Holger Rune

Holger Rune defeated Novak Djokovic to win his first Masters 1000 title in Paris

Holger Rune has quickly risen up the rankings since winning his first ATP title at the BMW Open in Munich last year. The 19-year-old made his maiden Grand Slam quarterfinal soon after, at the 2022 French Open.

In the second half of the 2022 season, Rune featured in four back-to-back finals with runner-up finishes in Sofia and Basel and titles at the Stockholm Open and the Paris Masters. He recently earned another runner-up trophy at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters.

Speaking about the youngster's tennis future, Patrick McEnroe noted that the Dane had scope for improvement, but voiced certainty about his impending Grand Slam glory, especially at the French Open.

“He still makes mistakes, sort of out of nowhere. If he can clean that up, if he becomes a little more disciplined in his shot selection in big moments, I think this guy is a potential Grand Slam winner. No doubt about it. Particularly on clay,” he said.

Rune is currently defending his title at the BMW Open in Munich and is through to the semifinals.