As Holger Rune announced his split with Severin Luthi, Roger Federer’s words for the veteran coach resurfaced. The Swiss legend was also unable to properly work with Luthi because of his schedule but was full of praise for him.
Rune hired Luthi during the off-season in December 2023. The Swiss mentor joined Boris Becker in the Dane’s coaching team. The partnership, however, failed to pay dividends as Rune met with an early exit in the 2024 Australian Open. Seeded 8th, he went out in the second round to surprise package Arthur Cazaux.
Now, barely days after the tournament ended, he parted ways with Luthi. Rune’ mother Aneke, who also acts as his agent and manager, revealed it was because the coach could not guarantee his year-long availability.
Federer’s praise for Luthi, despite the latter refusing to work full-time with him from 2018, showed the immense respect he had. He called him a great coach and a friend. The retired World No. 1 said in a press conference at the ATP Finals back in 2018 that Luthi knew him, his game and practice routines inside out (Tennis World USA).
“He’s a great friend, especially a great coach for me, otherwise, he wouldn’t be on the team. If he was just a friend, I think he would do work. As a coach, he’s really valuable to me. He knows my game very well. He knows my practice sessions very well. He knows what I need to work on. He knows what makes me happy and sad. He knows my team members very well. So he’s crucial to the team.”
Severin Luthi was associated with Federer from 2007 to 2022, but never as a solo full-time coach. Other names like Stefan Edberg, Paul Annacone, and Ivan Ljubicic accompanied him as primary coaches. Federer reportedly wished to onboard Luthi full-time in 2015, but he refused to commit his entire time to the 20-time Majors winner.
Roger Federer, however, achieved great success even during spells when he had no permanent coach. His incredible 2004 season, for example, when he won three Grand Slams, happened without a full-time coach in the box. Luthi’s presence acted like a bonus for Federer, as he had great primary coaches but was also armed with the ability to train himself well.
What Holger Rune needs to learn from Roger Federer
A big factor behind Federer’s glittering career was his ability to choose the correct people for his team. He may not have always had the most illustrious names behind him, but he had only those he knew he wanted. Additionally, the Swiss legend developed great relations with them. For instance, a close bond with long-time agent Tony Godsick saw Federer develop the hugely successful Team8 agency with him.
Holger Rune needs to take a page out of Federer’s playbook and improve on two fronts. The latter never had Luthi as a primary coach, but always grouped him with a full-time mentor to achieve best results. Rune was on the right path, bringing on the coach to work alongside Boris Becker. However, the Dane presumably wished to keep Luthi on full-time, which he refused.
Rune may have onboarded him knowing that Becker was going to be absent for the Australian Open. With the German back and Severin Luthi not ready to work permanently, he was let go. If Rune wishes to work with the latter, he needs to ensure he has another permanent coach and accept the fact that there are coaches like Luthi would only be available intermittently. This would ensure that it does not upset the apple cart, more so at a critical time, when few months ago, Rune sacked Patrick Mouratoglou from his team.
Another option is, Rune learns to train by himself like Federer. If he develops the ability to do so, the World No.7 can manage great results with any coaching setup.
