Even with on-court action wrapped up for 2022, Holger Rune’s prodigious talent continues to be recognized. The 19-year-old Dane has been named 2022 ATP Awards Breakthrough of the Year after an outstanding season in which he won three ATP Tour titles and reached the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time.
“I’m super happy to have been awarded the Breakthrough of the Year award, this means a lot,” Rune said. “I’ve worked really hard all year to do my best, and it’s great to see my colleagues voted for me, so it means a lot. I can’t wait for 2023, and I hope it’s another great year.”
Two red-hot streaks of form defined an impressive 2022 season for Rune.
If a string of high-quality wins during the European season on clay was a sign that the Dane had the game to compete with the best on Tour, his late-season charge on indoor hard courts demonstrated his ability to convert those attributes into title-winning performances against the best in the world.
Rune lifted his first ATP Tour title at the BMW Open by American Express in Munich in May, just two days after his 19th birthday, before defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas en route to his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at Roland Garros. The Dane then responded to a subdued run of mid-year results like a seasoned professional, claiming two more titles and winning 19 of his last 21 matches of the year.
That sublime run included appearances in championship matches in Sofia and Basel, and Rune defeated world No. 5 Tsitsipas in straight sets to win the Stockholm Open. He closed out his year with the biggest title of his career, beating Novak Djokovic in a thrilling Rolex Paris Masters final to break into the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time.
“To be honest, I feel great, it’s the best feeling,” Rune said after his run to his first ATP Masters 1000 crown in Paris, where he defeated five Top 10 opponents in a row. “If you had told me four weeks ago, I’d be in the Top 10…I’d say ‘What, I’m sorry?’ Now I’m here and I’m super proud.”
Jack Draper, Jiri Lehecka, Ben Shelton and Chun-Hsin Tseng were also nominated in the Breakthrough of the Year category, as a #NextGenATP player who broke into the Top 100 for the first time in 2022.
