Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune enjoyed a stunning season in 2019, winning a maiden Junior Grand Slam at Roland Garros and lifting silverware at the season-ending ITF Junior Finals in Chengdu. The 16-year-old intends to focus solely on professional tournaments during 2020 as he pieces together a career which he hopes will see him rise to the very top. He will be writing regular blog pieces for the ITF. Follow his progress here. 

A month or so has passed since my last blog and within that time I have played three professional tournaments.

It has been a big learning curve and I have had to acknowledge that even though I am a good junior player, I am now competing at a completely new level and the transition is full of challenges.

When you are at the top of a certain level, you feel more freedom to play the way to want and have an ability to take control of points. This is not the position I am in right now.

I have a clear vision of the tennis I want to play but I must accept that many points are just about hanging in there. Equally, though, I am not making any new mistakes, I’m just not getting away with them now as I might have in juniors.

Changing levels is like a new world. Ever since playing international tournaments in the 12-and-under age category, I have always made sure that I was among the best before progressing, so the feelings I am experiencing now are nothing new.

There tends to be difficulties when you start playing at a higher standard. When I left the 12-and-under category for the 14-and-under age bracket, I remember thinking everyone was so good and, to begin with, I was losing often.

The same applied when I started playing ITF junior tournaments but through hard work I became the best again – winning lower grade events to begin with and then Roland Garros and the ITF Junior Finals – which earned me a shot in the professional ranks.

It’s the circle of tennis life. It’s tough and frustrating but exciting also and I love the challenge of not stopping before I am the best. I love challenges.

I have come to terms with everything being different again and the need to control my emotions. I know also that when I just play my tennis, I am on the right track. I don’t have to change much or play better necessarily.

I must just be myself on court, not a new or better version, but just me fighting for my dream and I will be working very hard as always.

Recently, I have had some good meetings and talks on the phone with Lars, my mental coach. It’s hugely beneficial to talk through what’s going on inside your head at a time of change.

Naturally, there are many things to deal with and it’s good not just to talk but to receive advice on handling situations and letting go of old habits.

One of the main talking points has been controlling emotions. I like emotions and they are a great driver. However, I have to suppress the emotions that distract me from playing my best tennis. It’s a balance between not killing them but having them in check.

To put this into context, I lost 3 tiebreaks in my last two matches so Lars and I have spoken about me clearing my head before and during crucial points.

We have also discussed the thought process when serving for the set and what can help me in order to stick to the plan and not go for quick points.

For sure, there are certain areas in which I need to be more disciplined. Maturity is not all about age, but also about experience and taking responsibility.

During the past week, I have been training at the Mouratoglou Academy in France ahead of competing in Turkey at M25 Antalya from Monday.

After this, I will be representing Denmark in our Davis Cup World Group II play-off clash against Puerto Rico, before contesting a couple of M15 tournaments in Croatia and a Challenger event in Marbella. I am really looking forward to it all.

During the last few weeks, I have enjoyed some quality family time between tournaments and after returning from Florida I managed to catch up with my sister, Alma.

There has been a lot of long distance travelling in the first few months of the season and on those flights to New Zealand, Uruguay and America I have listened to quite a few podcasts and watched plenty of movies.

Talking of movies, it is only a matter of weeks until the new James Bond film, No Time to Die, is released. I am a huge James Bond fan and, for me, this is a must see.

I follow 007 on Instagram and there have been plenty of teasers so I’m looking forward to going to the cinema and seeing it, probably with Alma when we are both at home in Denmark.

Casino Royale is my favourite James Bond movie. I have always been a little obsessed with heroes. I was also a serious fan of Indiana Jones when I was younger, but 007 is undoubtedly the coolest hero. Nothing scares him and I like that.