It's safe to say: men's tennis has not seen a star like Holger Rune in a generation.
Brash, expressive and unpredictable, the 21-year-old Dane does it his way, and already in his fledgling career he has cracked the top five and won an ATP Masters title.
Here are five reasons we love Rune, and why we’re excited to see what he can do at Australian Open 2025.
1. His sky-high belief
Believe it to be it. And boy, does Rune believe. "I have this dedication, a tunnel vision," he told Olympics.com earlier this year. "Without that, you won't get [to the top]. The most important thing is to believe in yourself."
He continued: "I think there's nothing called 'crazy' in tennis... You need these big dreams that seem unrealistic for other people. But I believe in them. And that's the most important part."
It's this belief that has helped him to some incredible achievements within just a few years of turning pro.
2. His rapid ascent
That official “turning pro” data was 2020, a year after he won the Roland Garros junior singles title.
While his rise up the ranks has come alongside major champions Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, Rune has already claimed four titles himself – most notably the ATP Masters 1000 Paris indoors in 2022.
That championship tilt featured one of Rune's most iconic moments so far in his young career: a thrilling three-set final triumph over the men's tennis GOAT, Novak Djokovic.
It was Rune's "fighting spirit" that impressed Djokovic the most. "He's had a week of his life," the Serbian star said. "[He's] quite impressive."
Djokovic was the fifth consecutive top-10 opponent Rune beat in that transformational week in Paris, one that began in the first round with a defeat of three-time major champ Stan Wawrinka.
3. He’s making Danish history - for the men
Even more impressive: Rune became Denmark's highest-ranked man in history when he reached world No.4 in August 2023.
The previous best Danish men’s player was Kenneth Carlsen, who claimed three singles titles and reached a career-high of world No.41 in 1993. Kurt Nielsen came long before the Open Era, reaching the Wimbledon singles final in both 1953 and 1955.
While Rune has charted new paths for men's tennis in his nation, he hasn't been shy about giving credit to Denmark's all-time great: Australian Open 2018 champion and former world No.1 Caroline Wozniacki.
"It was crazy to watch a Danish player win a Grand Slam in an incredible match, so it was a big inspiration," Rune remembered. "Her backhand and her fighting spirit I feel are her two best qualities.”
Following in Wozniacki’s world-beating footsteps, Rune has since claimed 16 top-10 wins so far, including over Alexander Zverev, Sinner and – when he was world No.1 – Alcaraz, among others.
4. He’s electric – and unexpected – on court
Rune’s high-energy approach pulls opponents into physically demanding and often dynamic baseline exchanges. A pure athlete with a shot-maker's ability, he isn't one to shy away from a highlight-reel winner when it's on offer, even if there's sometimes a safer option to choose.
"I’m obviously very passionate, showing fighter energy," he told GQ in 2023.
While he can be punishing from the back of the court, Rune loves a bundle of surprise, too.
Among the top 15, only Alcaraz goes to the drop shot more often than the Dane (3 to 2.8 per cent of baseline shots), with both men finding strong success from the pocket: Alcaraz hits a winner on 39 per cent of drop shots compared to Rune's 24.8 percent.
Want to see Rune's drop shot work in progress since 2021? His former coach Patrick Mouratoglou has you covered.
5. He’s a man on a (cover) mission
We're not forecasting a second coming of the Big Three, but Rune's arrival on tennis' upper echelon has seen a whole new level of interest for the men's game.
He's done fashion shoots with GQ and ICON magazines, attended F1 races, rubbed elbows with athletics megastar Usain Bolt, and was featured in the second series of Netflix's Break Point.
Fun working with the cool team around ICON for this cover story 📷 #iconmagazine pic.twitter.com/ynIOqa4FHX
— Holger Rune (@holgerrune2003) June 13, 2024
The Monaco resident often is sparring partner to his well-known neighbor Djokovic, has written his own book, earned the nickname "The Viking" from the Ultimate Tennis Showdown and is – refreshes phone – just shy of a topping one million followers on Instagram.
Hashtag Holger.