Welcome to the latest instalment of Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune’s blog. The 16-year-old won his maiden Junior Grand Slam title in 2019 and is focusing solely on professional tournaments from now on. Holger is writing regular pieces for the ITF and providing insight into his tennis journey. Follow his progress here.

I miss tennis so much. Everything that has happened in the past few weeks has made me realise how much we all probably take sport, tournaments, travelling around the world and the freedom we normally have for granted.

It is simply not possible to live a normal life at the present time and I would like to send my best wishes to everyone who is locked in their homes, and especially to those who have lost family and friends to coronavirus.

I really hope the world can return to normal as soon as possible. I am in Denmark currently and the situation here is that we’re on lockdown until at least 14 April and we’re not allowed to socialise, while all tennis courts, both indoor and outdoor, are closed, as are gyms.

We can still go outdoors so I can do some physical training and I have bought a treadmill and some other equipment so I can stay fit and do exercise. But it is not only the physical side of professional tennis which needs attention while we’re not playing, but the psychological side also.

I love competing so it feels crazy not to be, especially after winning some matches following a difficult start to the year. That is something I will have to deal with but I did feel that my season was just getting going and that I was ready to make my mark, so I was seriously sad when all professional tennis was postponed until 8 June.

A possible restart of the calendar seems an unbearably long time away, although I understand that nothing can happen until the world is okay and ready for tennis again. If that is the date when the sport might be reinstated, it is a case now of preparing and being ready for competitive action again.

Occupying my time

When not working out, I have been doing a lot of interviews for both Danish and international media, whether on Youtube, for magazines, Instagram or websites. Normally, I am too tired after a lot of practice to do much of this but given the circumstances it has been fun.

There are a lot of cool people out there who are really interested in tennis and we’ve had some good talks. I recently spoke with Noah Rubin, who runs Behind the Racket on Instagram. He is locked down in New York; it is very rare that everyone in the world, whether young or old, rich or poor, male or female, is facing the same problem.

Things have changed so much in such a short space of time. Only a few weeks ago I was at Porec in Croatia contesting an M15 tournament. I had won my first two matches and was looking forward to my quarter-final when the event was suspended.

Faced with that situation, my team and I headed to the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in France where I often practice. There was a nervous atmosphere within the country and every time we entered the Academy, we had our temperature taken.

Within a few days, France was in lockdown. We considered staying and training at a private facility but when it was announced that France was to close its land borders and restrict flights, we decided to return to Denmark.

National colours

As I mentioned earlier, I hadn’t won many matches this season and the postponement of events happened at a time when I had found some form. Prior to competing in Porec, I represented Denmark during our Davis Cup World Group II Play-off against Puerto Rico in Holbaek.

There was a sell-out crowd and massive Danish support. What makes playing Davis Cup so special is that you’re playing for your country and not yourself. It is such an honour and I love the support the team receives.

Our goal as a team is to get to World Group I and, going forward, I really believe we can achieve this. I never want to let my country down, so no matter how I feel on the day of the match, I just fight. But having had a difficult start to the campaign, I arrived for this tie with both fear and joy.

I practiced for a week with the rest of the team and had to adjust to a fast surface, having played on clay in Turkey beforehand. During that week, I was not satisfied with my game; I felt I was late on the ball and slow.

However, I managed to correct some small technical issues and felt ready for my opening match. I was still nervous, however, and started shakily. I was too offensive and my opponent, Ignacio Garcia, played every ball in the court, forcing me into mistakes.

I lost the first set, although in the second and third I found balance in my game and relaxed. I ended up winning the match, which felt so good. The result was great but what was more pleasing was that I found my game style again.

I played close to the baseline, worked my opponent and approached the net whenever the opportunity arose. It was not the perfect match but I was happy. I had been searching for balance within my game for a month or so and found it. I won my second match of the tie also, again playing my own game.

Normality

One thing is for certain, I cannot wait to get back on court. In the meantime, however long it takes for the world to return to normal, it is important to keep in the best possible shape, both physically and mentally.

At times like this you realise how important it is for us all to be united and work together. Stay safe everyone.