Holger Rune extends coaching agreement with Boris Becker through 2024

They say if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, and Holger Rune agrees. The 20-year-old won’t be making any changes to his coaching team in the near future, after ending his season on a positive note since hiring German great Boris Becker on a trial basis last month.

His mother and manager, Aneke Rune, confirmed in a statement to Danish press that Becker will continue his coaching partnership with Holger into the 2024 season.

“We look forward to continuing the good work in the preseason and 2024 with our team, with whom we will also end the year,” Aneke wrote, according to Denmark’s *TV2 Sport*.

“I’m delighted that we have found a good setup where Holger is happy and can develop, so that we can once again set goals and aim to win Grand Slams,” she added. “It’s been a difficult and educational year with many good experiences, but also disappointments, hardships and new things to deal with… This experience is necessary to be able to take home the big trophies.”

Rune’s tough year actually started on a high, with the teenager sweeping to victory on the clay courts of Munich and reaching two ATP Masters 1000 finals in Monte Carlo and Rome. But in the second half of the season—after his quarterfinal exit at Wimbledon—he was plagued by a back injury and went on to win just one of his next eight matches, including a first-round exit at the US Open.

In September, he once again parted ways with Patrick Mouratoglou, with the Dane’s team citing “ego clashes” and poor results. While Rune has long trained at the Frenchman’s academy, Mouratoglou joined his team full time last October following Simona Halep’s doping ban.

He seemed to find a second wind after hiring Becker on a trial basis. Rune reached the semifinals in Basel and quarterfinals at the Paris Masters to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

"I had a good season. When you finish in the Top 8, you can be proud of yourself," Rune reflected on Thursday, after his 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 defeat to Sinner sent him to 1-2 in the Green Group and eliminated him from the tournament.

"I think that I could have done some things better this year—actually, a lot of things. That's how it is. It's a learning process. Next year I'm going to try to learn from this year... It's a good experience to be at this level."

With his 2023 season in the books, Rune signed off from Turin with a message for the remaining semifinalists, and a word of praise for the Italian fans who supported him throughout the week.

“Wish all finalists some great battles the coming days. I enjoyed every day here and I can’t wait to see you all next year,” Rune wrote, adding a few Italy-themed emojis.

“Great battle as always, Jannik,” he continued. “I like matches like this. I wish you luck in the Finals.

“At the same time I want to thank all Italians for [not making me feel] unwanted yesterday. You were a great and passionate crowd even when playing your national hero. Grazie!”