Welcome to the latest instalment of Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune’s blog. The 17-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 am feeling great.

I won my first ITF World Tennis Tour event at M25 Klosters last week and followed that by reaching the final at M15 Melilla on Sunday. I believe all the hard work and determination to achieve my goals is paying off.

I have big ambitions, I never compromise and I always believe I am capable of accomplishing what I set out to do, and if it proves harder than I imagined, I adjust my effort and put the work in until I get it right.

It's like a journey through a one-way tunnel towards my goal. Sometimes there is too much traffic in the tunnel and this prevents me from travelling as quickly as I would like. But I will get through, I always get through the traffic jam.

When I initially started playing more professional events, I felt as though I was stuck in the same lane and I needed to figure out how to break through and meet the challenges facing me.

I needed to cope as a professional player rather than a junior. It took time, but just before the suspension of the Tour due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I started to feel more at home and had a great tournament in Croatia. I didn’t feel as though I was the new boy in class anymore.

Winning my first professional title shows me that I am on the right track and I am excited to continue my journey, step by step. Returning to the tunnel analogy, I really do think I am now driving the car with the best engine, and all I need to focus on is the fuel.

I was interested to see what the new normal would look like on the ITF World Tennis Tour. I was afraid that the new protocols would kill the atmosphere, but this was not the case at all.

The tournaments I have played have had a fantastic energy and the organisers have done a great job to make things as normal as possible and safe for all players.

One of the tournaments I competed at was M25 Vogau in Austria where the level was very high due to few scheduled tournaments, which made my semi-final finish a great result. However, my goal was to do even better at my next M25 event at Klosters as this was my last junior exempt space.

I had never been to Switzerland before and it felt fantastic to be in the mountains and the scenery was breathtaking, but there was a job to do. It was a job made harder once the draw was made.

I was drawn to play No. 2 seed Dimitar Kuzmanov in the first round, the same player who stopped me in Vogau in the semi-final just two weeks before.

But with help from my team and some wise words from a top ATP player, I overcame one of my biggest challenges. The clue was to keep it simple no matter who was on the other side of the net.

Winning this tournament was a special moment and provided me with plenty that I can use going forward.

With the Roland Garros Junior Championships beginning on Sunday, it brings back wonderful memories of winning the competition last year.

I wish all players taking part in the Roland Garros Junior Championships this year all the very best.

It’s hard for all competitors at big sporting events this year. Personally, I love the big stage, the crowd and the chaos which a lively atmosphere brings, so I hope we will be able to return to that as soon as possible.

Until then, I will continue to cruise in my racing car up the road in search of the experience and wisdom needed to be ready for bigger challenges ahead.