Holger Rune told he is not on Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner’s level as Grand Slam prediction is made
ATP player Michael Mmoh has backed Holger Rune to become a Grand Slam champion as he asserted the Danish star “just has that it factor.”
The American would not put Rune in the same category as Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, though, and called for him to have “a little bit of continuity moving forward” after his frequent coaching changes.
Rune has showcased he possesses the talent to become a serious force in tennis, although his progress has stalled somewhat in the last year.
Sinner and Alcaraz, meanwhile, have established themselves as the leading duo of their generation and are the only ATP players born after 1996 to win a Grand Slam title. Alcaraz has secured four majors, while Sinner claimed his only Slam to date at the 2024 Australian Open.
The furthest Rune has progressed at a Grand Slam is the quarter-finals, a stage he has reached twice at the French Open (2022 and 2023) and once at Wimbledon (2023).
The 21-year-old Dane’s biggest triumph of his career so far was at the 2022 Paris Masters, while he won the most recent of his four titles in Munich in April last year. He reached a career-high ranking of world No 4 in August 2023 and is currently ranked 15th.
Rune made an encouraging run to the semi-finals of the 2024 Cincinnati Masters and lost a tight three-setter to Frances Tiafoe after having two match points and a 5-2 third set lead.
Speaking on Tennis Channel, Mmoh expressed his confidence that Rune will be a Grand Slam winner.
“To be honest, he’s always been my pick, and he’s an eventual Grand Slam champion. He just has that ‘it factor’,” said the world No 146.
“He’s struggling with a little bit of form right now, a lot of coaching changes. I think he needs a little bit of continuity moving forward, but he has a lot of game.
“I wouldn’t put him next to Sinner and Alcaraz, but he’s a talented young kid who has a lot of game.”
Mmoh, who reached a career-high ranking of world No 81 in September 2023, has lost both of his career meetings with Rune. The matches came earlier this year, with Rune earning straight-set wins in Montpellier and Acapulco.
