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Can Holger Rune Emulate Alcaraz In 2023

By Deke Lloyd

PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 06: Winner Holger Rune (R) of Denmark and runner up Novak Djokovic (L) of Serbia pose after their men's singles final at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 - Rolex Paris Masters (Paris Bercy) - indoor tennis tournament at The AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France on November 06, 2022. (Photo by Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 06: Winner Holger Rune (R) of Denmark and runner up Novak Djokovic (L) of Serbia pose after their men's singles final at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 - Rolex Paris Masters (Paris Bercy) - indoor tennis tournament at The AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France on November 06, 2022. (Photo by Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) /
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Carlos Alcaraz set the tennis world on fire in 2022. After cementing himself with a slew of titles, Carlos capped off his dream 2022 season with the US Open and the #1 ranking in the world. Can another teenage phenom, Holger Rune, emulate Alcaraz in the upcoming season?

While it’s unfair to compare or expect another player to repeat Carlos Alcaraz’s outstanding 2022 season, Holger Rune showed late in the season that he will be a force on tour in the upcoming 2023 season. A run to the Roland Garros quarterfinal was Rune’s coming-out party last season, which included an upset win over former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. After a rocky summer, Rune catapulted himself up the rankings with a fantastic indoor season, including winning the Bercy Masters in Paris.

Rune showed flashes all season but was never able to put in a consistent run of form until after the US Open. The incredible run in Paris included several wins over the top ten players such as Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Novak Djokovic in the final. It was an amazing tournament that showed Rune belonged among the upper echelon of the tour.

With a top-15 ranking, Rune will have heaps of expectations now, something he didn’t have to deal with in 2022. What made Alcaraz so amazing was how well he played despite all the expectations of him. Now, it’s Rune’s turn to show if he can perform the same way Alcaraz did and take his game to the next level. Rune has proven to be a top-ten talent. The next steps are going to be more difficult.

Rune has the talent to win majors, especially at Roland Garros, where he has already made a deep run. With a target on his next this upcoming season, it will be fascinating to see how Rune competes with heightened expectations. The tour is deeper than ever, with multiple major winners still active and at the top of their games, Rune just adds to the deep roster of amazing talent on the tour.

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