Roger Federer’s ex-coach joins Becker on Rune’s team in bid to stop Djokovic

Roger Federer’s long-time coach Severin Luthi has joined Holger Rune’s camp as one of his coaches alongside Boris Becker. The world No 8 recently admitted that he and his young rivals needed to do better at stopping Novak Djokovic from winning more Majors. And Rune appears to be putting together the perfect super team to help him in his quest.

Rune announced that Luthi had joined his team in an Instagram post on Wednesday. The 20-year-old has been completing his pre-season in Monte Carlo under the guidance of Becker, who recently took on a full-time job as Rune’s coach following a successful end to 2023.

“Very happy to welcome Severin to my team alongside Boris,” the Dane wrote alongside a photo of himself standing with Luthi, Becker, his performance coach Lapo Becherini, and his mother and manager Aneke Rune. The Swiss coach previously worked with Federer for 15 years before the 20-time Major winner retired in 2022.

Luthi has also worked with Switzerland’s Davis Cup team since 2002 and was promoted to captain in 2005. It means that Rune is now being mentored by the former coaches of both Federer and Djokovic, as Becker worked with the Serb from late 2013 to late 2016.

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It means that Luthi and Becker have coached against each other on several occasions as Federer and Djokovic met 14 times in the period that both men were working with them. It included three Grand Slam finals – Wimbledon in 2014 and Wimbledon and the US Open in 2015, all won by Djokovic.

But they will now be teaming up to help Rune defeat the 36-year-old. The four-time title winner recently told the Advantage Connors podcast: “Novak is still winning three out of four Grand Slams this year. So we cannot say that he is gone because we need to beat him like not just one time but like every time. I will try to beat him every time because if he keeps winning these big tournaments, why would he stop?”

Rune also opened up on the dynamics of his team during last week’s UTS Grand Final in London. “I wouldn’t say there is a boss, but if there is a boss it’s me because it’s my decisions at the end of the day,” he explained. “I listen to the people that are around me but again, I hired Boris, I like my Mum to be there, I like to have my fitness coach there and if I didn’t they wouldn’t be there so that’s end of story.”

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There has been some concern over what Rune will do when Wimbledon comes around, as Becker faces a ban from the UK after he was imprisoned last year. The six-time Grand Slam champion was found guilty of four charges under the Insolvency Act and sentenced to 30 months in jail, serving eight before he was released and deported to Germany.

But the addition of Luthi could solve that problem, as the Swiss coach could join Rune in London while Becker communicates from afar. Addressing the issue of Becker being unable to enter the UK, the 20-year-old said: “I have no answer to that right now.”

The Dane also had no qualms over Becker’s criminal past. “I know many players that really like him. So do I. Whatever he’s doing off the court, I don’t need to have an opinion on that because I hired him to coach me, not to do anything else. He’s a great guy. He’s a really good man. I think if people mistake him from that, it’s totally wrong, because he has a great heart and he’s a great coach,” he explained.

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