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WASHINGTON, D.C. – As Holger Rune embarks on the second half of a season that has been star-crossed so far by illness and injury, a rather legendary name has reached out to see if he can help.
Andre Agassi is in D.C. ahead of the Mubadala Citi D.C. Open to work with Rune for a three-day period.
Thursday was the first day; he’ll be in the house until Saturday.
It’s not a “add a super-coach to the team” type of arrangement, from what we understand. Just the three days, see if there’s chemistry, see if he can bring his fresh eye and his experience to the project. And go from there.
Here’s what they looked like on the practice court Friday.
Funny thing. At first, walked onto the court, we thought it was – illogically – American Michael Joyce. In part because of the hairline and also because Agassi had a towel over his head.
And then – the famous duck walk gave it away.
Out early at Wimbledon
Still just 22, Rune (whose career high of No. 4 was nearly two years ago), is ranked No. 8 at the moment. Which is probably higher than his body of work this year would make you think.
He’s a rather pedestrian 22-14 on the season, with five of those wins coming when he came up with a really big week in Barcelona in April, winning the title. Another five victories came when he reached the Indian Wells final.
Other than those two tournaments, he sits at 10-13 for 2025.
There was the ‘flu in Rotterdam, tonsillitis that required antobiotics at Indian Wells, and a bug in South America, food poisoning in Acapulco, a stomach bug in Monte Carlo and other issues that plagued him during the clay-court season. And at Wimbledon, he went out in five sets to qualifier Nicolas Jarry, after winning the first two.
He has a round-of-16 to defend in Toronto (that was the third round a year ago with the longstanding 56-player draw, but the fourth round this year with the expanded draw). And he has a semifinal in Cincinnati. On the plus side, he went out in the first round at the US Open a year ago, so there’s room there to put up some results.
Later in the day, Rune returned to the practice court. But without Agassi this time.
