How Holger Rune’s mom is inspiring his quarterfinal run at Wimbledon

By Ben Church, CNN

(CNN) — World No. 6 Holger Rune has credited his run to this year’s Wimbledon quarterfinals to the love and support shown by his mom.

The 20-year-old beat Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov on Monday to set up an enticing match against world No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz for a place in the semifinals, and his mother was leading the celebrations from the player’s box on Court 1.

“The support from my box today was one of the best ever. Also, we talked about it after. They had a lot of fun,” Hune told reporters after his round of 16 win.

“It was cool because I was super locked in today, focused, ready to battle until it’s over. My mom was super pumped.

“As we all talk about it in the team, there is Wimbledon once a year, you have to go full, do everything it takes to win, and leave your heart out there.”

Rune has never made it past the quarterfinal stage of a grand slam and has a tough task ahead of him.

His Spanish opponent is one of the heavy favorites to win the title this year – perhaps the only man capable of beating 23-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic – but Rune says he’s excited by the challenge.

If the Danish youngster is to make it through to the final four, his mom’s influence will surely be a major factor.

Rune says he travels with his family to big tournaments on the tour and appreciates the vocal support they show him from the player’s box.

“She’s a huge influence,” he said, speaking about how his mom helps him compete at the top level.

“She really helps to kind of keep me in the perfect state of mind. Obviously, she knows me better than anybody […] that’s also why she’s traveling with me for every tournament.

“I want her for every tournament. I want her there because I really feel the support. Also, if I feel like I have something that I want to get off my heart or something, I can always come to her and talk. We have this very unique relationship.”

Rune, a former world No. 1 junior, will have to be at his best to beat Alcaraz on Wednesday, but the pair have already made history before stepping foot on the court – it’s the first time in the Open Era that two male players under the age of 21 will face each other at this stage of Wimbledon.

Alcaraz, who says he remembers playing Rune in junior tournaments as children, is bidding for a second grand slam title but is aware of the threat posed by the Dane.

The pair have met twice before on the senior circuit with each taking one win.

“I’m really excited about this match,” Alcaraz told reporters. “We shared a lot of great moments.

“We have played together since we were 12 years old. We’ve not texted each other, but obviously, we know each other really well.

“I’m really excited about it. I think he’s the same.”

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