The 17-year-old tennis player Holger Rune participates in the long-awaited ATP Challenger tournament in Marbella, which has been postponed since March. The Danish tennis star has high expectations for the tournament, where several of the top 100 players have announced their arrival
Postponements and cancellations on sport events have been a daily occurrence since March due to the corona pandemic. Therefore, the main sponsor of AnyTech365 Marbella Tennis Open 2020 is more than excited that the tennis tournament finally will take place.
– First of all, I am very happy that we can now hold the tournament. We have been ready since March, but due to corona it has had to been delayed. Now we are looking forward to an amazing tennis week in Puente Romano, says IT entrepreneur Janus R. Nielsen, CEO of the IT company AnyTech365, which has its headquarters in Marbella on Costa del Sol and for the second year in a row is a main sponsor at the ATP tournament.
The Tournament Manager Ronnie Leitgeb is also excited about the tennis tournament becoming a reality and says that all precautions related to COVID-19 have been taken very seriously.
Wildcard to the Danish young star
When wildcards were to be awarded for the ATP Challenger tournament in Marbella, the main sponsor Janus R. Nielsen had no doubt that he wanted the Danish tennis player Holger Rune to join the tournament, who already has had some impressive tennis results at the age of only 17.
The IT entrepreneur received support from the ATP organization, and therefore Holger Rune was awarded a wildcard to the tennis tournament, which will be played in beautiful surroundings on the tennis courts in Puente Romano in Marbella. The young tennis player has high expectations and is looking forward to the tournament.
– The wildcard means a lot to me, and I have been looking forward to the tournament for a long time. I’ve played a lot of tournaments on clay, so I feel like I’m in good shape. When I look at the names of the other players, I can see that it will be a strong tournament, so it will be very cool to come down and play at a high level in Marbella, says Holger Rune, who is extremely dedicated to his sport and as last year was awarded the best junior tennis player of the year in Denmark.
Janus R. Nielsen from AnyTech365 also has high expectations for the tournament and is proud that the young talent accepted the wildcard.
– Without a doubt it will be an exciting tournament at a high level, as we have around 10 players from the top 100 in the world who are participating, says Janus R. Nielsen, who is pleased that the tournament finally can be held. But there is also another thing the Danish IT entrepreneur is looking forward to.
– I am looking very forward to see Holger Rune play. The 17-year-old Danish boy won the junior French Open, where the playing surface is clay and here they also play on clay, so I hope he will be successful at the tournament.
The Danish main sponsor is not the only one who has high expectations of the young tennis player. Holger Rune himself has high ambitions for the upcoming tournament.
– Of course, I hope that I can win the tournament. I fell in good shape and I have much focus on my physical training in the moment. So, my goal is to win, but I also know that it will be difficult, says the Danish tennis star, Holger Rune, who last year was number 1 in the world junior ranking.
Dreaming of being the best in the world
If Holger Rune maintains his great passion in his tennis, the future looks very bright. And the great young player has no doubt about his goal in the future.
– My long-term dream is to win all the Grand Slams as many times as possible and even more times than Federer and Nadal, says a smiling and confident Holger Rune, who has always had Roger Federer as his big idol, but now he admits that Rafael Nadal is also a great role model especially after he recently saw the final between Nadal and Novak Djokovic at Roland-Garros, where the Spanish player got his 13th title in Paris.
There is no doubt that the young tennis player has great qualities on the tennis court, but he is also aware that it will be a challenge to play against the more experienced players.
– Of course, at senior level the players are physically stronger, so therefore the physical side of the game becomes a challenge, but also a natural development. It requires more endurance and the games are much longer. Just look at the final between Djokovic and Nadal which was 3 hours and 5 minutes, whereas the junior final was 1 hour and 3 minutes. It takes more concentration to play at a senior level, so it’s about being in good shape body and mind, and I think that’s cool. It has to be difficult. Otherwise, everyone would be able to do it, says a focused and dedicated Holger Rune.
Live streaming of AnyTech365 Marbella Tennis Open
The tournament which takes place at the tennis facility in Puente Romano in Marbella will of course not be played in front of as many people as usual due to the corona pandemic. Therefore, the tennis association and AnyTech365 have reached an agreement that all matches can be streamed directly from the main sponsor’s website: https://anytech365.com/ The tennis tournament starts on Saturday 24 October and lasts until Sunday 1 of November, when the final will be played.
Holger Rune is sorry that the number of spectators will be limited, but he also respects the current situation.
– It’s always cool to play in front of many spectators, but the limited numbers of spectators will in no way be something that will affect my game, says the young tennis star, who in his spare time loves to spend time with his sister and the rest of the family to movie nights.
5 quick questions for Holger Rune
- City or beach holiday? City holiday.
- Handball or football? Football.
- Pizza or sushi? Pizza.
- Movie or book? Movie.
- Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal? I have to admit that Federer is still my idol.
