Holger Rune makes ‘consistency’ admission as he fires Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner warning

Oli Dickson Jefford 13 Sep 2025 11:15 AM

Pictured: Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner, and Carlos Alcaraz.

ATP Tour stars Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner, and Carlos Alcaraz.

Holger Rune has claimed that he knows he “can beat” leading ATP Tour stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner despite admitting to “consistency” issues within his game.

Alcaraz and Sinner have been the dominant forces in the men’s game for two years, sweeping the last eight Grand Slam titles up for grabs between them, and meeting in the final of the last five tournaments in which both have competed.

World No 11 Rune, who is just a handful of days older than Alcaraz, and has known the Spaniard since childhood, has long been recognised as one of the brightest talents on the ATP Tour — and beat Alcaraz in the Barcelona Open final back in April.

However, after winning the Paris Indoors Masters 1000 title in November 2022 and reaching a career-high of world No 4 in 2023, the Dane has struggled to kick on.

While Alcaraz and Sinner are six and four-time Grand Slam singles champions, respectively, Rune is yet to make it past the quarter-final stage of a major, and was beaten in the opening round of Wimbledon and round two of the US Open this summer.

The 22-year-old has not reached the quarter-final of a Grand Slam since Wimbledon in 2023 and, after ending his two-year title drought in Barcelona, has failed to reach another final since then.

Speaking to BolaVip ahead of Denmark’s Davis Cup tie against Spain this weekend, Rune admitted that he was still trying to discover his “identity” as a player — though still believed he could pose a threat to the world’s two best players.

“I feel like I’m lacking some consistency in my identity as a tennis player,” said Rune.

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“Often, I go into matches with a relatively offensive mindset, while other times I come in with a grinder’s mindset.

“That’s the danger. When I’m able to hit so many different shots on a tennis court, it can also be a bit confusing. I try to keep it as simple as possible.

“Of course, it’s inspiring to see Carlos and Jannik play at that level, but I also know that I can beat them.”

Rune could have faced Alcaraz this week in Denmark’s Davis Cup qualifier against in Marbella, though he will have to wait for a rematch against the world No 1 after the Spaniard withdrew from the tie.

Instead of facing Alcaraz, Rune will face Pablo Carreno Busta in his first rubber on Saturday, before facing Jaume Munar on Sunday.

The winning nation will qualify for the Davis Cup Finals, which will be held in Bologna this November.