Holger Rune told ‘he has the level’ to challenge for Grand Slam titles once he returns from injury

Oli Dickson Jefford 15 Feb 2026 11:30 AM

Pictured: Holger Rune and Richard Krajicek.

ATP Tour players Holger Rune and Richard Krajicek.

Former world No 4 and Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek has backed Holger Rune to come back and contend for Grand Slam titles when he returns from injury.

World No 17 Rune is currently rehabbing a serious Achilles injury that he sustained at the Stockholm Open last October, with the Dane forced to retire in his semi-final versus Ugo Humbert.

The injury brought an instant end to the 22-year-old’s season, and the Dane has not played so far in 2026, with no official return date set for the former world No 4.

Rune has long been recognised as one of the brightest talents of his generation, and his injury came after what had been a more positive 2025, after challenging spells across the latter stages of 2023 and 2024.

The Dane reached the Indian Wells final in March 2025 and then defeated Carlos Alcaraz to win his fifth ATP Tour title at the Barcelona Open last April, lifting his first title in over two years.

The 22-year-old will have likely dropped further down the ATP Rankings by the time he returns, and will face the task of rebuilding his ranking and form as he looks to challenge the likes of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

However, 1996 Wimbledon champion Krajicek believes Rune is more than capable of stepping up to the plate.

Speaking to Bolavip, the Dutchman backed Rune to challenge for Grand Slam titles when he returns to action.

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He said: “It is not going to be any problem at all for him to come back into the top five and win Grand Slams.

“He has the level, and of course, it will take a little bit of time, but Holger is an incredibly hard worker, so for me that is not a problem for him at all.

“Holger always has a lot of options on the court because of his amazing level, especially on the backhand side. You never know if he will go crosscourt, hit it hard down the line, make a dropshot or something else.

“Sometimes that can be difficult as a very talented player, because when you are able to hit so many shots, the decision-making can be hard.

“That is definitely something he has to work on, but he will manage. It was simple for me, because I did not have as many qualities. I just had to serve and come to the net.”

Krajicek is fully awared about the difficulties of returning to action after a long-term injury, having battled a recurring shoulder injury across his career, alongside undergoing meniscus surgery.

The Dutchman also spent 20 months on the sidelines due to an elbow injury in the latter stages of his career, not playing a single match in 2001 and missing the first two Grand Slam events in 2002.

And, he has urged Rune not to rush his return to action.

“Maybe my advice would be to stay patient. The biggest mistake I made after being sidelined for 20 months following my elbow surgery was that I came back too quickly,” added Krajicek.

“I should have waited at least one more year, at least until I was fully fit. If I could go back in time, I would change it. The stop and start is not good physically or mentally.

“Mentally, I was struggling a lot, because these injuries are horrible. It is better to break something, because then you can take three or six months off, then it will be healed, and everything is okay.

“He has to listen to the doctors and not rush back to the court. Mentally, going back to zero again is the toughest part, so he needs to be 100 percent fit when coming back.”

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