By Richard Pagliaro | Sunday, September 15, 2025
Photo credit: Koji Watanabe/Getty
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have combined to sweep the last eight Grand Slam championships.
Prepare for another star to crash the major party in 2026, says Alex Corretja.
Speaking to Nicholas Albeck of SpilXperten during Davis Cup weekend, former French Open finalist Corretja says Holger Rune can master a major title in 2026.
“I really hope he succeeds, because I genuinely like him. He brings fantastic qualities to tennis – he’s actually really important for the sport – but he still needs to find his way to achieve better results.”
“But I see absolutely zero reasons why Holger can’t win a Grand Slam next year – and compete for those kinds of titles for many years to come,” Corretja told Nicholas Albeck of SpilXperten .
The 22-year-old Rune, who has been mentored by Andre Agassi, toppled Alcaraz to win Barcelona in April. However, Rune struggled to in the last three majors of the season.
Rune, who lost to Sinner in the Australian Open round of 16, fell to Nicolas Jarry in his Wimbledon opener was defeated by Jan-Lennard Struff in a punishing US Open second rounder that went the five-set distance.
Former No. 2 Corretja said the key for Rune to unlock his Grand Slam potential is both establishing his identity as a player and learning how to exploit opponents’ weaknesses.
Right now, I think for Holger Rune it’s about when he’ll manage to put the final pieces of the puzzle together. He needs to figure out how to act both on and off the court.”
“He needs a better understanding of his own game, but also of his opponents’ games,” Corretja said. “I don’t think there’s any reason to compare him to other players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.”
Corretja asserts Rune has the potential to be a Slam winner and points to his triumph at the 2022 Paris Masters Indoors as a sign he can beat the best.
Holger has his own personality – a very strong personality, in fact. He’s a fantastic competitor, and he works so hard. He’s someone I really hope will find his path in the best possible way.”
“I mean, he has already found his path – he’s been in the top 10, so it’s not like he’s not good, and he’s also won a Masters 1000 title – but of course, I still feel he can do much better,” Corretja said.
