Holger Rune has asserted that both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner find it “uncomfortable” to play him as he also asserted that the duo’s dominance “gets boring.”
Former world No 4 Rune has not played since October when he underwent surgery on a “fully broken” Achilles, having suffered the brutal injury at the Stockholm Open.
The 22-year-old Dane holds a 2-2 record against Alcaraz, while he has won two of his five matches against Sinner.
Speaking to the Tales from Tennis podcast, Rune declared that his game gives him the belief that he can challenge Alcaraz and Sinner when he returns to the tour.
“It gives me the belief that I know I can do it, and every time I step [on court] against them, I know I have a chance to beat them. And I know that both of them find it uncomfortable to play me, so that’s extra motivation for me,” Rune said.
“And yeah, I always had great matches with Jannik, even before he turned out as a Grand Slam champion, he was always an incredible player. I think it’s always been an exciting matchup with me and both of them.
“So for my case, it’s about being as consistent as to do it every week to give myself the chance to play them much more often. And I think that would also make my level increase a lot, because they get to challenge themselves almost every week against each other.”
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Rune added: “With just two guys making finals and winning everything, it gets boring to be honest.
“I think there needs to be more guys to challenge them, not just one tournament, but consistently.”
The five-time ATP Tour title winner also revealed that his “ultimate goal” remains the same despite his Achilles injury.
“My mind hasn’t really changed on what my ultimate goal is. It’s really the same that it’s always been: to be at the top of the game and to win Grand Slam titles.
“And I know I can do it. I just need to be clear in my mind and to be aware of what I have to do, and work on myself physically and on the tennis court. And then I’m able to achieve it.
Rune gave an update on his rehab and divulged that he is aiming to make his comeback at the end of the clay season or during the grass season.
“My rehab is going well, it’s moving in the right direction, and I started to run yesterday, so that’s a really nice milestone for me,” said the Dane.
“Moving forward it looks great, it’s feeling great, so I’m very positive about everything and hopefully soon I can be back on the court.
“There is a rough timeframe. It could be the end of the clay season, it could be grass season. So it’s somewhere in between, but it’s tough to say. It really depends on how fast I go through the rehab and the journey now.
“And after I’m ready to play, I need to practise a little bit. I need to train probably around a month on the court fully before I feel ready, and maybe that’s less, maybe that’s more.”
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