Djokovic on the Rune-Becker Pairing: “A Great Move”

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Saturday October 28, 2023

World No.1 Novak Djokovic had a long, productive relationship with Boris Becker that lasted three years and saw Djokovic rack up six major titles.

Now that the German has taken the reins in Holger Rune’s camp, the 24-time major champion says that the Dane is in very good hands.

He commended Rune’s decision to add Becker in his pre-tournament press conference at Paris, where he will bid for a record seventh title next week.

“I think it’s a very good decision from Holger to invite Boris to join his team. Boris is legend of our sport, someone that understands the game so well from a player’s perspective, coaching perspective,” Djokovic said. “He’s been around the game for so many years. He’s seen and played against different players in different generations.”

“Incredibly Intelligent and Mentally Strong”

Djokovic praised Becker’s attributes and said that the move to hire him was a wise decision for Rune.

“Incredibly intelligent, smart man, very confident, obviously composed,” he said. “You know, he was famous for his mental strength and ability to come up with his best game when he was facing the biggest pressure.

“I think for Holger, it’s a great move because Holger is a young player who already has established himself in the top 10 of the world, but obviously it’s one thing to reach the top 10 and to break into top 10, and it’s something else to get to a different level and start winning slams and, you know, getting to the top spots of the world.”

The world-beating Serb said that Rune’s difficult run of form of late is normal. He believes that Rune has the potential to be a great force on the men’s tour, and that his odds of doing that increase with Becker.

“It’s normal that he’s experiencing some kind of oscillations and ups and downs with his results,” Djokovic said. “I have known Holger for quite a few years. We trained when he was younger than he is now in Monte-Carlo, and I really like his game. I think he’s got huge potential, potential to be a Grand Slam winner, no doubt. So I’m sure that Boris will be able to help improve his game overall.”