Holger Ruhn recently signed seven-time Grand Slam winner Boris Becker as his new coach, ending his partnership with renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou.Jimmy Connors and his son Brett praised the move on their podcast “The Connors Advantage”.
Holger Rune, 20, and Patrick Mouratoglou have known each other for many years before joining forces on the ATP Tour in 2022. The promising Dane won the 2022 Paris Masters and has finished runner-up at two other ATP Masters 1000 events this year under the Frenchman’s guidance. guardianship.
However, the pair parted ways in September. Around the same time, Rooney’s mother Anek commented on the split in the tennis press, saying:
“It just didn’t work out. What’s important now is that Holger finds the right team that he can have for the long term. “He’s decided it’s not the right team for Patrick. “
In this case, Jimmy Connors’ son Brett believes Mouratoglou may not be enough to lead Holger Ruane into the top echelons of the sport. The 44-year-old hinted that the Frenchman lacks the experience of a top professional player compared to Becker.
He said:
“He (Becker) knows what it’s like to be there, and when Patrick tells Ruane, ‘Blah blah blah,’ and then it doesn’t work, Ruane looks at him like, ‘How do you know, you’ve never You’ve been in this situation before. You’re certainly not a Grand Slam contender, right?”
He continued:
“Boris came onto the scene when he was 16, 17 years old. So he was able to give him some insight like, ‘Hey, I know what it’s like to be a young guy and have all the success and pressure. Come on so young.”
Mouratoglou has never competed on the ATP Tour, despite his skill in the sport. He founded his academy in 1996 and has coached many top players including Serena Williams, Coco Gauff and Stefanos Tsitsipas .
“I know there are people who sit down and study everybody’s games, stats and all that” – Jimmy Connors on Holger Ruhn’s former coach
During the interaction, Jimmy Connors also asserted that Boris Becker is the better choice for coach Holger Ruhn.
Having said that, the American legend also understands why the Dane chose Mouratoglou’s services in the first place.
He said:
“I know there are people who are students of the game, I know there are people who sit down and study everybody’s games, stats and stuff like that…that’s all good. There’s no better experience than being there.”
Connors added that Roone would benefit greatly from the seven-time Grand Slam champion’s advice.
I’ve added:
“He will trust him (Becker) and everything he does will be good for him. It’s more than a friend, he’s a coach, a mentor and it’s great to have someone like that by your side. “
Meanwhile, the partnership between Holger Rune and Boris Becker was fruitful in its early stages. The world No. 7 reached the semifinals of the 2023 Basel Indoors in Switzerland, losing in straight sets to eventual champion Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Rooney is also hoping to qualify for the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin for the first time in his career. However, the Dane’s participation in the year-end tournament depends on his results at this week’s Paris Masters.