Holger Rune makes ‘super scary’ confession after horror injury
Holger Rune has opened up about his torn Achilles with the former world No 4 saying it was a wake-up call “for the whole sports industry”, insisting that “bad luck” had nothing to do with his injury.
The Dane suffered a cruel season-ending blow at the Stockholm Open in mid-October when he stretched for a point and then suddenly pulled up with agony swept across his face as he limped to his bench while leading Ugo Humbert 6-4, 2-2.
He was in tears while receiving treatment and the match never resumed with his mother, Aneke, confirming not long after that he had suffered a torn Achilles tendon that would likely need up to six months to heal.
A few days later, Rune revealed that his Achilles was “fully broken” and he would undergo an operation to repair the damage and there were hints of frustration from the player about the long tennis schedule.
It came as no surprise when his mother hit out at the ATP Tour over the lengthy calendar, saying players simply do not have time to recover properly throughout the season”.
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And now Rune has also made his feelings clear as he insisted that fatigue was to blame for the injury.
“Honestly, I believe that my injury was a real shock for many tennis players and athletes,” he told Hard Court.
“I had never had an issue with my ankle before; in fact, I had always been very healthy. I never had problems with inflammations, I always underwent many blood tests, cell analyses, scans, MRIs, etc. Everything was fine concerning my physical condition; the results always showed that I had a very strong physique.
“So this was not supposed to happen – this should not be possible. I’m 22 years old, I’m healthy and strong, and yet it happened. But I don’t believe in being ‘unlucky’ or having ‘bad luck’ in sports. Everything happens for a reason, and there is an explanation behind everything.
“So the main thing that could have caused this injury is fatigue, and that is super scary for the whole sports industry. Sport is entertainment, and we love to entertain — we love that people enjoy watching us play.
“We just need to make sure to listen to our bodies, too. It can be very difficult to do that when you really love to play tennis as much as I do and love the game, the tournaments, and the fans.”
Rune, who won the ATP 500 Barcelona Open and finished runner-up at the ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells Open, has slipped to No 15 in the ATP Rankings and will no doubt drop further while recovering from his injury.
But he has a new perspective, saying: “I never doubted my love for tennis, but I took my talent for granted.
“I was sometimes too easy on things, and now I feel the longing, and also look back and see all the stuff I could have and probably should have done differently. Not just practice, because that is where my passion is, but all of the things around it—what you eat, etc.”
