Holger Rune reviews Carlos Alcaraz Netflix documentary, roasts junior rival 😂

ROME, Italy—Though he has lived through much of Carlos Alcaraz’s rise to tennis stardom, Holger Rune still found time to watch his former junior rival’s new documentary, giving Carlos Alcaraz: My Way high marks at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

“I actually talked to him a little bit about it in the locker rooms,” Rune confirmed after a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Francisco Comesana in his first match since retiring from the Mutua Madrid Open due to a knee injury.

“I think it’s good. I think it’s nice for tennis fans, and—I said basically the same thing after the Netflix thing I did with the rest of the players—I think it’s great for the tennis fans to see more of what’s behind the scenes. It’s cool, because we’re all human.”

Rune famously shared an episode with Alcaraz in the second season of Break Point, and while the Dane appeared reluctant to invite cameras back into his life, he enjoyed his own behind-the-scenes look at a player he’s known since their junior days.

“I don’t want to say anything controversial, but I might have been a little bit more serious than him in juniors,” teased Rune, who defeated Alcaraz to win the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell two weeks ago, “but he’s catching up and is very serious now!

“In juniors, you could see his potential, his talent, everything. He was an amazing player and, of course, Spanish people live differently than Danish people. It’s a different kind of character.”

Released earlier this month, the three-part docuseries, follows Alcaraz through a wildly successful 2024 season, where he won back-to-back major titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, but also shows the Spaniard’s struggle with the sort of non-stop discipline repeatedly ascribed to the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.

In juniors, you could see his potential, his talent, everything. Holger Rune on Carlos Alcaraz

“He’s a guy that loves playing tennis and is extremely good at it. It’s cool to see and from my side, I think [his experience is] normal for every player. You don’t feel the same every day, the same motivation every day, but it’s normal.

“You have some days where you dig a little bit deeper and find some more energy. Some days, it’s easier, but that’s part of life, no matter if it’s tennis or some normal job.”

The former junior doubles partners are currently tied 2-2 in their ATP head-to-head; they could meet this week in the quarterfinals at the Foro Italico, but first the ninth-seeded Rune will need to get past Frenchman Corentin Moutet in his third round on Sunday.