Interview. Caen Open: Comment Did Holger Rune land in Normandy?
By Mathieu Maine
Published on
Tuesday, December 13, 2022, Zénith spectators will discover the power of Holger Rune for his entry into the semi-finals of the Open de Caen (Calvados). The 19-year-old Dutchman, n°11 in the ATP rankings, will be the headliner of the tournament. Winner of the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 where he offered himself the luxury of beating Djokovic in the final, Holger Rune will land in Caen with the status of big favourite. Newly added to the programming for landing Félix Auger Aliassime’s package, its room delights Norman tennis fans. Arnaud Guimard, tournament manager, went behind the scenes of this announcement.
Arnaud, how do you get in touch with a player like Holger Rune?
Arnaud Guimard: For all players, it’s the same principle, regardless of their ranking. We have an intermediary, working for the UNJPT (National Union of Professional Tennis Players) who is in charge of contacting the players. He also collaborates for Lacoste, Roland Garros… and therefore a very good address book. He knows the agents, the coaches, it’s very practical.
We remind you, you announced Rune following Félix Auger Aliassime’s package, it was not complicated to bounce back after this hard blow?
Félix Auger Aliassime is a thing of the past… at least for this year, because the door is not closed for the next editions. It is true that we have a little accused the blow after his package. But in 24 hours, we found a player of the same caliber, thanks to our network. Holger Rune is a player we had in our sights for a long time. He’s a player we liked a lot, with an impressive rise, very powerful for his young age. When we saw his Bercy, we took a slap…
“Holger Rune is a player we had in our sights for a long time”
What were the arguments to bring him here?
Above all, it is the format of the tournament that has more to him and the timing. With two matches in two days for him, it’s very intense in the preparation phase. He will arrive after athletic work has already been done, it will be time for him to hit the ball again against the world’s top players. Players also appreciate the tournament conditions, which are very similar to the Australian Open. It’s the same type of surface and balls as the Grand Slam a month later. He knows he can’t lose ATP points because it’s exhibition so he’ll play loose. There is obviously also the financial aspect, like all players, he has guarantees in this regard.
“The players appreciate the tournament conditions as they are very similar to the Australian Open”
Was the Dutchman the first player called up after Auger Aliassime’s package?
We knew his agent very well so we jumped at the chance. Rune was our priority, he said yes right away so we didn’t have to look elsewhere.
By bringing in a player like that, is the long-term objective to go from an exhibition tournament to an ATP tournament?
We want to remain a show car if we go to ATP, we will have to increase our current budget from 700,000 euros to 2.5 million euros. To have players who will not be more highly rated… With this in mind, we should also delete the women’s draw, the amateur draw, which is impossible for us. We want to keep a tournament on a human scale, with superb headliners, like Rune this year.
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