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Holger Rune took the tennis world by surprise on Wednesday, February 21, by announcing his reunion with French coach Patrick Mouratoglou.
Mourtaglou's tennis coaching resume speaks volumes of his prowess as a coach. He has previously coached multiple top-caliber players, including Serena Williams, Simona Halep, Grigor Dimitrov, and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
However, after Rune broke his partnership with Mouratoglou following a horrific run that hit rock bottom at the US Open 2023, most fingers were pointed at the Frenchman. The youngster's team also consisted of Lars Christensen in the top role at the time.
Rune's mother Aneke announced their separation on September 1, 2023, four days after the Dane had suffered a humiliating first-round defeat at Flushing Meadows.
Interestingly, the day before disclosing the split, Aneke suggested during an interview that Mouratoglou and Christensen had been at odds over the past couple of months.
"I don't know what will happen with the coaching situation now. It's a bit strange... 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," she told Danish national daily Ekstra Bladet.
In the aftermath of the clash, Aneke seemed to favor Christensen as she added:
"I would encourage Holger Rune and Lars Christensen to get back into work clothes together... The structured way of working, I think, works for Holger... A structure he knows and finds security in is important. So I would think that is what he should stick to."
But Holger Rune had other plans. In mid-October, he shook hands with six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker, who had previously worked with none other than Novak Djokovic.
A few days later in November, Lars Christensen left his role on Rune's team.
Furthermore, the youngster welcomed to his team another legendary coach Severin Luthi. Luthi notably coached Roger Federer from 2007 right to the time Swiss called it a day in 2022.
With Becker and Luthi behind him, the Dane looked settled to conquer the courts, starting with the ones at Melbourne Park.
It seemed like everything was over between Holger Rune and Patrick Mouratoglou, especially after Netflix released the second season of their tennis documentary 'Break Point' on January 10, 2024.
In an episode focused on Rune, he proclaimed that he expected individuals on his payroll to do more than just sit around before talking about his breakup with Mouratoglou.
"The people I hire, they have to help me. Sometimes I am thinking 'Why are you here actually?' I don't hire people just to sit there. It's also like a question of 'Are you doing your job good enough?' And of course, it's my fault at the end but I didn't feel like Partick's the right thing for me at the moment," the 20-year-old said.
However, within the following 50 days, Holger Rune saw both Becker and Luthi leave and Mouratoglou return.
"I am excited to start a new collaboration with Holger Rune. He has high goals and so do I for him. It is the start of a new adventure. See you guys in Acapulco, Indian Wells, and Miami," Mouratoglou wrote in an Instagram post dated February 21, 2024.
Notably, a user expressed amazement at the reunion by dropping a comment that read:
"Talking bad on Netflix, saying he (patrick) is lazy and just sitting around and now workin together again - dont get that?"
In reply, Mourotoglou wrote:
"Anyone can make a mistake. I forgive."
Holger Rune and Patrick Mouratoglou's association dates back to 2016
Holger Rune and Patrick Mouratoglou share a history that dates back to 2016 when the former was a 13-year-old. Rune flew to Biot, France, as a beneficiary of the Champ'seed program run by Mouratoglou's foundation and trained at the Frenchman's academy.
The duo solidified their bond further by joining forces in October 2022. The merger bore fruits as Holger Rune flourished on the court by winning the Stockholm Open a few days later and the Paris Masters in November. He notably overcame Novak Djokovic in the final of the latter tournament.
The following year, the World No. 7 triumphed at Bavarian International in Munich, Germany, and ended as the runner-up at the Monte Carlo Open and Italian Open. He was 30th in the ATP rankings at the time Mouratoglou, joined but witnessed a steady rise to become the World No. 4 under the French coach.
The duo had parted ways in April 2023 as per their initial agreements but were back together in a matter of few days. This makes their latest link-up their third refusion.
They say that the third time's a charm as Holger Rune's mother Aneke has high hopes for the pair. She wishes to see the Dane sit atop the world rankings and eventually approved of Mouratoglou's presence beside her son.
The 20-year-old too looks forward to accomplishing his goals under Mouratoglou as he took to X (formerly Twitter) after the latter arrived in his team a few days ago and wrote:
"Sometimes you must try a variety of things to find out what works for you and what does not. In the recent months I have learned a lot about what’s important for me. With Patrick I did some of my greatest triumphs and I believe he can help me achieving my goals."
