Holger Rune on watching Wozniacki, Wayne Rooney chants and feeling at home on the grass

Following his second round win, the young Dane spoke about sporting inspirations from his homeland and how the British have taken him to their hearts

Holger Rune wins at Wimbledon 2023 Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic

Jamie Malachy

July 8, 2023

Prior to this week, Holger Rune had never won a match at Wimbledon. For a player who poses such a threat to the rest of the field across the tour, this is difficult to believe.

But given the successes the Dane has already enjoyed, it is also easy to forget just how young Rune is.

Having only turned 20 years of age a couple of months ago, Holger Rune is one of the youngest players on tour – and one of the most promising.

With a dynamic demeanour, and an explosive game to match, Rune’s talent shines bright among his contemporaries. Having already won the Paris Masters – beating Djokovic in the final – and reached the quarter-finals twice at Roland-Garros, the last surface the young Dane has to master is grass.

Rune getting to grips with grass-court tennis

The early indications are encouraging.

In just his second ever Wimbledon campaign, Rune has quietly and seamlessly rolled into the third round without dropping a set.

It was evident from the way Rune spoke in his second round post-match press conference that playing on grass is not something that fazes him.

“I don’t feel insecure anymore on the grass. I just think sometimes it’s not only about hitting hard. It’s also about playing the right shots, make the opponent play in the important moments,” Rune explained.

“You know, I think today, especially against a player like Baena that really likes the pace and likes when the opponent misses, I think it’s important to be patient. Often when I was patient today, I won the point. So I did what I needed to do.”

Caroline Wozniacki an early inspiration

Denmark has not historically been a cornucopia of tennis pedigree. But this latest generation feels like a turning point for Danish tennis.

Caroline Wozniacki, a fellow Dane and Australian Open champion in 2018, has recently announced she is returning to the tour – with ambitions to compete for the biggest trophies once again.

“I still remember once when she won Australian Open, my whole family was watching. It was unbelievable, very emotional,” said Rune of Wozniacki.

With the former Australian Open champion’s return, Denmark will have strong representation on both the ATP and WTA, which will only help to boost the stature of the sport for future generations to come.

British fans taking Rune to their hearts

Currently though, Rune is Denmark’s sole representative among tennis’ elite. Having only played Wimbledon once before, he hasn’t had a lot of time to wave his country’s flag in the UK.

However, after making the semi-finals at Queen’s prior to Wimbledon, followed by his early success at SW19, Rune is becoming a household name among British tennis fans.

Not least because of the fact that a well-know footballing chant about one of England’s all-time top scorers – Wayne Rooney – has been adopted as an affectionate chant of support for Rune, given their similar-sounding names.

“I didn’t think of it, but when you say it, it’s true. I guess it’s not the worst thing. It’s great,” Rune said when asked about this.

“They’re showing really, really good support and it’s a nice feeling to be out there first of all with many Danes and British people that are wishing me the best.

“It feels good. Hopefully I can bring some more good tennis.”

Asked whether Rune would like this chant to continue, he replied “Yeah, I hope so.”

If the young Dane continues to string results together in the coming days in the manner he has been doing so far, then he can expect the chanting to become much louder over the course of this fortnight.