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Holger Rune’s mother Aneke has voiced concerns over the tense situation brewing between her son's coaches Lars Christensen and Patrick Mouratoglou.
Rune’s coaching team includes his longtime coach Christensen, who has been with the Dane since he was six years old. Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou has also been assisting Rune on and off for a little less than a year.
Primarily the coach of Simona Halep, Mouratoglou took up duty as Rune's temporary coach amid Halep’s doping suspension.
Patrick Mouratoglou and Lars Christensen were actively assisting Holger Rune when he lifted his maiden Masters 1000 title at the 2022 Paris Masters. They also kicked off the hardcourt season together, starting with the Australian Open, where the Dane faced a fourth-round exit.
However, Rune's mother and manager Aneke has now hinted that all is not well with the coaching team.
“I don't know what will happen with the coaching situation now. It's a bit strange. The team that worked at the end of the year (2022) suddenly didn't work in Australia,” she said in an interview with Ekstra Bladet.
Mouratoglou and Rune, who initially teamed up for a period of six months, terminated their collaboration in April. However, just weeks later, the coach was seen assisting the Dane again during the claycourt season.
It is worth noting that Christensen was conspicuous by his absence throughout the clay season, including the French Open. Instead, Mouratoglou was seen in Rune’s player’s box.
“There were ego clashes between the coaches. The team that worked in the clay season suddenly doesn't work now. Ego clash again? I don't know,” Aneke Rune said.
Rune's mother also expressed unhappiness about her son bearing the brunt of the situation.
“The fact is that it is Holger who pays the price for it every time, and that cannot be right,” she added.
"I would encourage Holger Rune and Lars Christensen to get back together" – Mother Aneke
Holger Rune was coached by Lars Christensen during Wimbledon 2023 while Mouratoglou remained absent.
The 20-year-old kicked off his North American swing with both Lars Christensen and Patrick Mouratoglou in his box. While Rune reached his current career-high ranking of World No. 4 during this period, his hardcourt campaign has not panned out well.
He recently crashed out of the ongoing 2023 US Open, suffering a shock opening-round defeat to Spain’s Roberto Carballes Baena.
This marked Rune’s fourth consecutive tour-level loss, and sixth overall if you include his two fixtures at the Hopman Cup. He hasn’t won a single match since his quarterfinal loss to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon.
Holger Rune’s mother openly expressed her inclination towards her son's longtime coach Christensen. She expressed hope that the Paris Masters champion would team up with Christensen going forward, after the Danish coach was done with his duties of mentoring compatriot Clara Tauson at the US Open.
“I would encourage Holger and Lars to get back into work clothes together when he has finished helping Clara in the US Open,” she said.
“The structured way of working, I think, works for Holger. It may not be terribly sexy, but it has proven extremely effective since Holger was little. And a structure he knows and finds security in is important. So I would think that is what he should stick to,” she added.
