In June, Team Ruud and Team Rune got into a war of words. Now Casper Ruud (23) is very enthusiastic about the Holger Rune (19), and believes the Dane can become the best in the world.

It’s below quarter final from major tournaments French Open against the Norwegians Casper Ruud That Danish Holger Rune serious about making his name known in world of tennis.

After Ruud beat Rune 3–1, the Norwegian came out saying that maybe it was “time to grow up” for the Dane. What Ruud was referring to was the screams and screams of the countless Runes during a match, a type of behavior that was unpopular in the sport of men’s tennis.

After Ruud’s statement, a war of words between Team Ruud and Team Rune, but that side has Norwegian and Danish players sliced ​​open.

Five months after the uproar, the 19-year-old from Copenhagen is once again in the spotlight from around the tennis world. This time in a positive sense after defeating the legend Novak Djokovic i end of the Paris Masters major tournament on Nov. 6.

– I can’t see the match, but I’ve seen certain points in the recording. That’s impressive. He showed the tennis world that he wanted to do great things, said Ruud of Rune’s impressive recent victory.

Ruud himself has never won a tournament as big as the Paris Masters. The Norwegian was very impressed with the Danes:

– He has let the racket speak for itself. The way he first won in Stockholm, then reached the final in Basel and now won the final against Djokovic in Paris is truly extreme. “It’s impressive, and certainly nice that she’s from Scandinavia,” said Ruud.

This week, the Norwegians and Danes will compete in Turin, Italy, where this year’s ATP play-offs are taking place. Ruud and Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime (22) play the opening game of a major tournament at 2pm Sunday, while Rune is the first reserve and only gets game time if one retires.

– Do you think Rune could one day become the best in the world? asked VG.

– Yes, I think he can be the best in the world, answered Ruud, and continued:

– But there are also some players who can. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have been nearly unapproachable over the past 18 years. Hardly anyone else was number one in the world during this period.

As the “tennis big three” – Federer (detained), Nadal and Djokovic – are aged 41, 36 and 35 respectively, Ruud believes that more people will fight for the title of world’s best tennis player in the coming years.

– Now Daniil Medvedev (26) and Carlos Alcaraz (19) have both succeeded this year, and I myself am close. I hope and believe that Rune and I are among those who can fight for that position in the future, said world number four Ruud.

– Denmark’s “hottest”

It’s not just Ruud who is optimistic about the future of the 19-year-old Dane. In Denmark’s two biggest newspapers, the rune fever is bigger than ever:

– It’s been violent. Interest in Runes has been huge since the French Open, but after the last win against Djokovic, the interest exploded, says sports journalist at Ekstra Bladet, Daniel Nøjsen Fallah.

In Denmark, football star Christian Eriksen, handball player Mikkel Hansen, cyclist Jonas Vingegaard, badminton star Viktor Axelsen and Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen dominate the news. But not now.

– At the moment, Holger Rune is Denmark’s “hottest” athlete. We note that he is already a big star, although he is still young and still has a lot to achieve. Interest in Holger is especially high among the Danes.

Jakob Kløcker in Danish BT takes the plunge:

– He has gone from the Dane some people know, to the Dane everyone knows. In the long run, he may become as popular as Denmark’s biggest profiles. He could become one of the biggest names in Danish sporting history, the sports journalist believes.

PS: Casper Ruud meets Felix Auger-Aliassime in the first group stage match of the ATP play-off on Sunday. It wasn’t until 2 p.m. and Discovery+ was livestreaming the tournament.