It’s a few days before the start of the US Open, and Holger Rune, the 22-year-old Danish tennis star currently ranked number 11 in the world, is in his hotel suite a few blocks south of Central Park. A team of assistants stands at attention in the room, along with his agent from IMG and his mother, Aneke. Rune is being fitted with a couple of looks for the week’s appearances. The ATP Tour–men’s tennis’ governing body–has hired the stylist Mobolaji Dawodu for the job.

Early instincts prove best: Rune first tries on a dapper, 1920s-leaning white suit from Ralph Lauren, with a cyan-striped button-down shirt that reverbs the same strong blue as the Dane’s eyes.

“That’s the one,” says Dawodu, adding a gold ring for yet further Gatsby-esque flair.

Photography by Nick Remsen

Rune burst onto the tennis zeitgeist as a teenager, with a headline-garnering hot streak in 2022; late that year, he won the Paris Masters, defeating an in-form Novak Djokovic in doing so (along with multiple other top ten players). He has also made the quarterfinals of three Grand Slam tournaments (the French Open twice in 2022 and 2023, and Wimbledon in 2023). He is of the same generation and rising vanguard of names like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, and has reached a ranking as strong as world number 4. That said, Rune remains in the hunt for his first Major title (Alcaraz has 5 and Sinner has 4, so far).

After a dip last year, 2025 has been stronger–Rune’s game seems to be trending positively. In March, he made the finals of Indian Wells, a tournament near Palm Springs, California, that’s considered by many to be the most prestigious summit outside of a Slam. He then won the Barcelona Open, beating Alcaraz in the final. In round one of the US Open on Monday, Rune, in a sharp day-glo green Nike kit, beat Botic van de Zandschulp (to note: van de Zandschulp ousted Alcaraz at the Open last year).

“We’ve been working very, very hard,” says Rune. “I’m very, very driven to win a Slam.” That sentiment is almost an understatement: Rune is obsessive about tennis and goes hard, consistently, in practices and in study.

He adds, “I had a lot of difficulties earlier in the year. Health stuff. And that was challenging, I was used to being sick maybe once a year or once every other year. What I learned is that, you know, when you feel something, it’s really important to check… take an extra day with the doctors. Because ultimately, it will be a shorter time that you’re away if you tackle something early.”

That insight underscores a cornerstone of Rune’s still young evolution: he’s thinking more about a fuller picture, with health–mental included–being front and center. Cognizant of that, Rune recently brought on the legendary Andre Agassi for a few days of consultation in Washington, D.C.

“We spoke a lot about strength of mind,” says Rune.

Agassi imparted some technical info, too. “Smaller things,” says Rune, “like loading a little bit more into the legs before pushing off for returning serves. And we talked about changeups in shot-making. I like to mix the game up a lot, so it was encouraging to hear his take on the variety.”

Photography by Nick Remsen

Rune holds a unique off-court roster of interests, too, including a nascent project with his sister, Alma, called Rune Residences, which is a home decor and design venture. It’s starting with Rune’s house just outside of Monte-Carlo, and an apartment in Copenhagen. Ever since he was a kid, the athlete says he has had an interest in homes.

“It’s amazing to have my sister and mom and father, they’ve all been very, very helpful with the design. It’s very modern, which I quite like,” Rune says. “It’s actually quite opposite to my mom’s style–she’s more into the old school look. I like it super clean, but not cold.” Alma, who walks into the suite with a gift for her brother that she just bought at Bottega Veneta, says she hopes to expand the Residences project with new clients in due course.

Rune and his family have also published a children’s book–Where Is Holger Rune? In a World Full of Tennis–that’s just been translated from Danish to English. The colorfully illustrated tome shows Rune’s short history in the game and highlights various locations in which Slams are played. It’s cute, and sort of Where’s Waldo?-esque in its visualization. He sells it, among other items, on his webshop.

“Hopefully it inspires some kids to want to play tennis,” he says. “And also to get a little bit of a feel for the small, funny things that happen on tour.”

With that, Dawodu’s assistants start to pack up the racks and the Ralph suit, which Rune will wear to a party thrown by IMG. You can put the athlete in designer, but you can’t keep an athlete from their comfort zone: Rune is quickly back into his de facto uniform, a Nike tee and shorts, and he’s relaxing on the couch while chatting with his agent and his sister. He’s happy–and he’s ready.