Holger Rune acknowledged Novak Djokovic is doing “unbelievable” things at 36 and highlighted that the younger guys must start winning more regularly against the Serb before they can say that they match the world No 1. Rune, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner accomplished some pretty notable things this year but Djokovic still had the best season by far. After making all four Grand Slam finals and adding three Slam titles in 2023, Djokovic warned the younger guys that his motivation will remain the same in 2024 and that he won’t start considering retirement until someone gives him a good reason. “I think it’s great to see that Novak can still play at this level. It’s unbelievable what he’s doing. Alcaraz won a slam this year, Sinner finished in the top four. I was No 4 four for the first time this year so I think the next generation is very interesting. We’re trying to compete with Novak to see if we can match him but he is still winning three out of four grand slams so it’s kind of tough. So before we can say that, we need to start winning more regularly against him,” Rune said at the UTS event in London.
Rune lost twice to Djokovic late in the season
Rune, who impressively became a Masters champion after stunning Djokovic in the 2022 Paris final, returned to Bercy in November as the defending champion. In Paris, Rune reached the quarterfinal before Djokovic handed him a 7-5 6-7 (3) 6-4 loss to end the Dane’s title defense hopes. 10 days later, Rune and Djokovic met again at the ATP Finals. In Turin, Djokovic sealed another three-set win over Rune as he beat the Dane 7-6 (4) 6-7 (1) 6-3. In May, Rune improved to 2-1 against Djokovic after beating the Serb at the Rome Masters. But after Djokovic’s back-to-back wins in Paris and Turin, the Serb now owns a 3-2 head-to-head against the Dane.