"When he was 14-15, he was hitting with Stefanos, with Daniil Medvedev" - Patrick Mouratoglou on how Holger Rune has benefitted from practicing and playing against top players

Holger Rune's coach Patrick Mouratoglou recently threw light on how young players can benefit greatly by not just playing matches against top players, but also by getting to practice with them now and then. He revealed that teenage tennis sensation Rune was once a hitting partner for the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Daniil Medvedev at Mouratoglou's academy around 4-5 years ago.

The 19-year-old, who won his maiden Masters 1000 title at the Paris Masters and also broke into the top-10 of the ATP rankings, was also a hitting partner at the ATP Finals a few years ago. In the 2022 ATP Finals, the World No. 11 was an alternate. While he did not get to play in the tournament, he played in practice sessions with top players as a hitting partner once again.

Mouratoglou recently joined the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast to speak about Rune's rise to the top. Taking his experience as an example, the Frenchman stressed that players at a junior level can learn so much from practicing with the best. He believes it "feeds their appetite" and gives them great motivation to emulate the top players.

"The experience of Holger being a hitting partner at the ATP Finals was incredible. I know he still thinks about how important it was for him being able to play with the best in the world," Mouratoglou said.

"Same also at my academy, when he was 14-15, he was hitting with Stefanos, with Daniil Medvedev, guys like that. For a junior, and at 15 you are very very junior, it's an incredible experience. Also, it feeds your appetite, you see them, you want to be them one day. To be able to hit with them one day, you feel you're getting closer to your dream and it brings extra motivation, so it's only positives. When you are lucky enough to have this chance, it's great," he added.

Mouratoglou, who also coaches Simona Halep, also expressed why a player like Holger Rune needs to play regularly against top players like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Daniil Medvedev, among others. He believes that even if Rune and other youngsters lose against top-ranked players, they learn more about their weaknesses.

"I believe it is very important for players to be able to play with the best for many reasons. An obvious reason is the quality of tennis they get and you know the more you're challenged, the more you are able to improve. Also, it gives you so much information about yourself, because the best in the world show you where you are weak, where you should improve," the Frenchman stated.

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"He played sets with Novak, with Daniil, it's amazing" - Patrick Mouratoglou on Holger Rune's experience at 2022 ATP Finals

Holger Rune (R) and Novak Djokovic at Rolex Paris Masters - Day Seven.

Patrick Mouratoglou also opened up about Holger Rune's experience of being an alternate at the 2022 ATP Finals, as he got to play practice matches against the likes of Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev.

The French coach admitted that both he and Rune would have been happier if the 19-year-old had gotten a chance to play in the tournament, but they were satisfied with getting the next best thing - playing practice matches against top-ranked players.

Mouratoglou also said that even though they were practice matches, Holger Rune had a game plan for each of the players and treated the matches like actual matches in a big tournament.

"Of course, it's not ideal preparation because he [Holger Rune] goes on holidays thereafter, so preparation for nothing, but it's experience. Every time he played those guys, he had game plans. We have game plans before every match and he can experience them during practice matches also and get a feel of it," Mouratoglou expressed.

"Even practice matches are great in a way that it's the closest experience to real matches that you can have. Playing a practice match with Novak, he played sets with Novak, with Daniil, it's amazing. It's great, he's happy," he further said.