Boris Becker steps down as Holger Rune's coach less than five months into the role

Boris Becker had become Holger Rune's coach in October and had earlier said that he would stay in the role for the rest of the year.

Tennis great Boris Becker has announced that he has split with Holger Rune after less than five months of being the Danish tennis player's coach. Becker said that he won't be able to commit the kind of time required for the job going forward, having achieved the initial goal of Rune reaching the 2023 ATP Finals.

Becker said that he won't be able to commit the kind of time required for the job

Becker made the announcement on his X handle and there has been no reaction from the 20-year-old Rune yet. “We started this partnership with the initial goal to reach the ATP Finals end of last year but moving forward I realised that in order for this to be successful, I would need to be available for Holger much more than I can. Due to professional and private responsibilities, I can’t give Holger what he needs now,” Becker wrote.

Becker and Rune started working together in October, initially until the end of 2023. Becker said in November they would work together in 2024 as well. The 20-year-old Rune, who is ranked No. 7, was eliminated in the second round at the Australian Open last month.

Employed in Germany as a commentator and pundit, Becker is also partially restricted from travelling as a result of his imprisonment in London on bankruptcy charges. Becker did not travel alongside the world number seven, but told reporters he spoke with Rune every day.

After Rune's exit from the Australian Open, Becker had told Eurosport he would continue as his coach. "I call him a rough diamond, you just have to shape him a little bit." Six-time Grand Slam champion Becker coached Novak Djokovic between 2013 and 2016, returning the Serb to the top of the world rankings while enjoying numerous successes.