Jul 12, 2023; London, United Kingdom; Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) and Holger Rune (DEN) at the net after their match on day 10 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Mandatory Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

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Childhood Friends Holger Rune and Carlos Alcaraz Idolize Two Different Legends of the Sport

Two friends, different idols, one final!

Sunday’s final at the Barcelona Open featured the Danish Holger Rune in action against home favorite Carlos Alcaraz in a match worthy of a final. The first set gave fans plenty to cheer about with explosive groundstrokes from both sides of the net. Despite earning a break to go up 3-2, the Spaniard was unable to hold on to the advantage as Rune came roaring back to even things up and 3-all.

Following a brilliantly contested tiebreak in the opening set that went Rune’s way, the Dane found the going much easier in the second set, earning a break to go up 3-2 after Alcaraz put a forehand long at 15-40. There would be no looking back from then as Rune was able to consolidate the break of serve and earned his insurance that all but put the match out of reach.

Eventually, Rune was able to hold on for a 7-6(6), 6-2 victory to claim his first title of the year and make his way back into the top 10. The win must have come as a huge relief for the 21-year-old as this was his first tour title in two years, having last won at the BMW Open in Munich in 2023.

The head-to-head between the two now stands at 2 apiece with Alcaraz claiming victory in their first-ever meeting in 2021 at the Next Gen ATP Finals. Even though the pair have met only 4 times on court since 2021, the two 21-year-olds go a long way back, having known each other since they were 12 years of age.

"We've been playing each other since we were 12 years old. Time flies! I am really happy to see us in this position, how far we've come together."

Carlos Alcaraz on his relationship with Holger Rune

🫂 pic.twitter.com/OcHh6C101q
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) April 20, 2025

Alcaraz and Rune’s Friendship From Juniors to the Pros

Two great friends, Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune are making waves on the tennis tour. While the Spaniard has already made quite a name for himself, the Dane is now looking to carve out his own piece of history in the tennis world. With his victory at the Barcelona Open final over Alcaraz, Rune proved that he, too, has the heart to be a champion.

Despite their rise on the professional circuit taking different paths, the pair has been friends for a long time having played against and with one another from their days on the junior circuit. As a matter of fact, the two have known each other ever since they were 12-year-olds.

2025 Barcelona final preparations 😉@carlosalcaraz 💇‍♂️ @holgerrune2003 pic.twitter.com/CvBKDnVwug
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 19, 2025

Their Tennis Idols While Growing Up

Good friends on and off the court, Carlos Alcaraz was born in Spain and grew up idolizing his fellow compatriot and 22-time Grand Slam Champion Rafael Nadal. While seeing Alcaraz’s play on court, one can’t help but notice some similarities between the two aggressive baseliners such as heavy topspin forehands, quickness and ability to cover every inch of the court, as well as physical conditioning and athleticism.

On the other hand, Rune, who was born in Denmark, grew up watching and idolizing 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer. During an interview at the 2022 French Open, Rune described how he liked the Swiss Maestro’s overall game, including the way he would transition from the baseline to the net, which is quite rare nowadays. He was impressed by how Federer used variation in his game which is something Rune himself wants to try and emulate.

Also Read: 2025 Stuttgart Open Victory and new Porsche Keys- Jelena Ostapenko takes down World Number 1 Aryna Sabalenka!

Barcelona Open

Carlos Alcaraz

Holger Rune

Tennis

Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!