“Alcaraz is a great energy on the pitch”

the danish Holger Rune, tenth in the ATP ranking, this Monday ensured that the Spaniards Carlos Alcarazwith whom he seems destined to fight many matches on the tennis tour, is a great energy on the court, hard to beat.

“Alcaraz is a great energy on the field; if you ask me for a concept to describe him, it would be that. He is a physically strong guy, aggressive with his right hand and with great movements. He is a very dangerous opponent,” Rune said in an interview with EFE.

Rune and Alcaraz, both 19 years old, were born five days apart and have been friends for more than 10 years, since they were children learning the basics of tennis. Years later, they are considered the two most visible promises on the tour, with the tools to win several ‘Grand Slams’.

This Monday, Rune will face the American in the Acapulco Open Ben Shelton41 on the world list, on his return to the tour after a few days off to relieve a sore wrist.

“Now I’m okay, 100 percent, happy to be here,” said the Dane, who if there is no surprise among the favorites, will face the British in the quarterfinals. Cameron Norrie, And if he wins, he will play the semifinal with the best of the Norwegians Casper Ruud and the Australian Alex deMinaur. And he will only face Alcaraz in the final, if the Spaniard recovers from the hamstring injury sustained in Rio.

Although he has been tipped as a candidate to win Grand Slam tournaments, Rune acknowledges that he must improve his game in many aspects, not only on the technical side, but also on how to handle matches in crucial moments.

“I have to improve every day and not just in one thing; a lot, I work hard on my mental strength. If I improve that, as I hope, I will soon be among the top five. I don’t know if it will happen” that on my birthday, next April 29, I will try to make it happen as soon as possible,” he said.

With a devastating serve, a venomous, powerful and irreverent drive, Rune is already one of the highest level tennis players on the tour, who last year confirmed that he is ready for high goals, in by defeating the Serbian. Novak Djokovic in the final of the Master 1,000 in Paris.

“Beating a player of that type is something that boosts your confidence; it’s a final he wants to win. It was a very tough battle, where I handled the important moments well,” he observed.

However, a few weeks later, at the Australian Open, Rune had the balls to beat the Russian. Andrey Rublev, ranked sixth, and failed at key moments, preventing him from playing in the quarterfinals against Djokovic in the first Grand Slam of the year.

“Rublev is a top player; maybe I should have been more aggressive, but he deserved to win. It was a game from which he learned a lot, a fight that I will remember for a long time.

About the debate about who is the best tennis player in history between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovicthe Dane says that he prefers it to the three and does not stop the discussion, although he accepts that it is a controversial issue and that people are free to express themselves.

“I’ll take all three,” he observed.

Holger Rune is an avid chess player. He doesn’t have time to study the openings, but he thinks that what happens on the board is the same as what happens on the court.

“There are similar situations between chess and tennis. You have to think when the ball is coming and anticipate the next move. In chess you have to look two or three steps ahead. I don’t have a favorite opening, I don’t have a -learning due to lack of time, so my game is based on reaction, as the games progress”, he concluded.