Holger Rune beat Botic van de Zandschulp to win his fourth career ATP title in Munich on Sunday. This came after he had lost to Andrey Rublev in Monte Carlo, despite being the more enterprising player for the majority of the match. He was also somewhat fortunate to win against the Dutchman in Munich to win the match eventually despite being the superior player quite evidently.
It is here that the 19-year-old Dane will have to improve his game. The way he lost against Rublev or threw away the second set against Lajovic is not befitting of a player of his talent.
Let’s take a look at how he can make better use of his talents:
Holger Rune should try to stay in the rally longer:
Just as he did in the Monte Carlo final against Rublev, Rune kept badgering Van de Zandschulp’s backhand with his inside-out forehand in the final in Munich. While that was not a bad ploy in itself, Rune’s idea of following it up with drop shots was probably a big too predictable.
Not that it helped that he played a few of his drop shots into the net. On a few other occasions, the Dutchman managed to chase the ball down. It is better not to try playing too many drop shots if one is struggling to execute them properly.
Moreover, if Rune has to become a top-class player on the dirt, he shoulder also learn to stay in the rallies for a longer duration. He simply cannot blast his opponent off the court on clay, irrespective of how powerful his groundstrokes are.
Rushing the net too often might not be a good idea on clay:
Rune also rushes the net quite often, maybe a nit too often on clay and thereby plays into his opponent’s hands. There is always a chance of his opponent passing him from the baseline.
Moreover, the Danish youngster does not have world-class net-skills yet. He often wastes his volleys be playing them too softly and the way he failed to hit a straightforward overhead winner against Rublev simply defied belief.
Rune should also try to introduce some topspin into his forehand to make it useful on clay. His groundstrokes are too flat at times to regularly trouble a top-class opponent on a slow surface.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
