I am not worried about my coach Boris Becker’s personal life, says Holger Rune

Danish star Holger Rune says that people should not be misled by the criminal record of his new coach Boris Becker, because Becker “has a great heart”.

Rune – and his mother/manager Aneke – were the first to engage Becker in a regular touring role after he emerged from his eight-month incarceration for tax evasion, although he was already working as a commentator for Eurosport.

The appointment, which was confirmed in mid-October, ended a three-and-a-half month form slump for Rune. Having removed his trademark cap on Becker’s advice, he made a run to the semi-finals of Basel, and then pushed the two best players of the autumn – Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner – all the way to the finish line at the ATP Finals in Turin.

On Thursday, Rune was asked if his improved performances could be ascribed to Becker’s input. “In the end, it’s me,” replied Rune, who is in England for the Ultimate Tennis Showdown event being staged at the ExCel exhibition centre near London’s docklands.

“But of course, he helped me a lot during this time, because I had the tough middle of the season with everything, so it was needed that he came and we start improving again.”

As for whether Becker needs to win back the trust and approval of the sport after his trial and conviction, Rune did not think there would be an issue.

“I know many players that really like him,” he replied. “So do I. Whatever he’s doing off the court, I don’t need to have an opinion on that because I hired him to coach me, not to do anything else. He’s a really good man. I think if people mistake him from that, it’s totally wrong, because he has a great heart and he’s a great coach.”

There is one potential issue with the partnership, because Becker is automatically banned from re-entering the UK – the country of his conviction – for 10 years. Assuming that Rune plays both Queen’s and Wimbledon again, that could be a month when he will have to fly solo.

But then Becker has never been much of a tracksuit coach, in the sense that his contribution is largely made off court. So he will probably be able to guide his charge remotely. Rune confirmed on Thursday that their work together is “more mental and tactical than technical”.

Still four months short of his 21st birthday, Rune made his first big statement on the tour when he beat Djokovic in the final of the Paris Masters – his last match of 2022. He continued to build momentum during a strong clay-court swing this year, before struggling through a barren late-summer period in which he was bothered by a bulging disc.

Rune looks like a good fit for Becker. He has all the assets required by the modern game – power from the back, a booming serve and natural athleticism – but the dimension that could elevate him from the pack is his soft hands at the net. Becker assisted the development of Djokovic’s net play, when they worked together between 2014 and 2016, and could now do the same for Rune.

The two men have also been playing chess. “I lost, to be honest,” said Rune, who is the world No 8. “But he told me that he was surprised that I played that good.

“Sometimes Boris tells me ‘Take your time between points, no rush’. He’s experienced. I’m less experienced, but more eager. It’s very good to have this combo.

“Before we started, I watched some highlights of him and Sampras from Berlin. Incredible tennis and they still – no offence – they still play real tennis like we do nowadays. They are hitting the shots like we do almost, just more to the net, more serve and volley, but I think it’s exciting. It’s still an effective way to play.”

Becker’s chequered history may not be an issue for Rune, but it did come up this week in a fiery social media exchange with Nick Kyrgios, who had opined that Becker and other 1980s giants would be “destroyed” by the modern generation of players.

When Becker replied that Kyrgios has no credibility, owing to his lack of major titles, Kyrgios shot back with “Hahahaha this bloke speaking about credibility … last I checked you were the one hiding assets no?”

Rune is due to open his UTS campaign against Britain’s Jack Draper on Friday night. The event is designed to shake up traditional tennis rhythms with its focus on innovative scoring systems.

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