Home

Tennis

‘Eating the Tennis Ball’- Holger Rune’s Insatiable Hunger for the Sport Voiced by a Vital Team Member

Published 11/16/2023, 12:27 AM EST

Follow Us

via Reuters

Being a professional tennis player is not at all an easy task. The amount of hard work and effort that one puts in is just massive and Holger Rune understands just that. Currently just 20 years old, the young Danish star has made headlines due to his immense potential. However, deep behind his performance is a calculative analysis and a deep understanding of the game.

Reflecting on the same, Mike James, who is an integral part of the Holger Rune’s team, reflects on the crazy appetite that Rune has for the game and how his love and dedication for the sport made him a great fit with his former coaches.

Holger Rune’s team member talks about the Dane’s crazy appetite for the game

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

As an integral part of Holger Rune’s support system, Mike James stands at the core of the team, employing data analysis for Dane’s passion for tennis. Ever since their collaboration started at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in January 2022, James has witnessed Rune’s hunger for the sport. Together with coach Lars Christensen and under the guidance of Patrick Mouratoglou, they form a cohesive unit that uses data and video analysis to come to significant conclusions.

“Lars at the time was super into video analysis and data analytics, as was Patrick Mouratoglou, and Holger is obsessed with the game,” said James. “He’s eating the tennis ball for lunch, dinner, and evening meal, and he’s always watching video and diving into it anyway. So it was a really nice fit.”

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Tennis stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

James highlighted Rune’s dedication to the game, constantly immersed in video sessions and checking the data for better performance. This synergy between Rune’s relentless hunger for improvement and James’ use of data marks a great partnership that drives Rune’s evolution on the court. Currently playing in the ATP Finals, the Danish player will be looking to make the best use of data and analysis to ensure his qualification into the semi-finals. But, what does the current scenario look like?

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Holger Rune could make his way into the semi-finals of the ATP Finals with a win

Currently sitting third in the group, he lost his first match against Novak Djokovic. Facing Stefanos Tsitsipas next, the young Dane got a walkover after the Greek player was unable to play his match due to injury. Now, as things stand, he has one win and a loss from his 2 matches. Facing Jannik Sinner next, he will be eyeing victory and would want to ensure a spot in the semi-finals.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

However, a defeat for him would further weaken his chances of making it through to the semi-finals of the tournament. His team would be willing to give in their everything and bring out key insights before his encounter with the young Italian. What do you think could be the possible outcome of the match? Do let us know in the comments!

Watch this story: Billionaire Roger Federer Leaves No Stone Unturned to Give Tennis a New Edge as He Vehemently Promotes Extremely Popular Sneaker Brand

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Akshat Gaur

1,113Articles

One take at a time

Akshat Gaur is a Tennis Writer at EssentiallySports. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in 2021 and has been writing since then. With over two years of experience in the world of sports journalism, specifically tennis journalism, Akshat is someone who is immensely passionate about covering the ATP and the WTA Tour.
Show More>

Edited by:

Shudh.mukherjee