Holger Rune’s return from a lengthy injury spell has encountered a blip after he was forced to pull out of the European Open on Sunday.
The former world No.4 accepted a wildcard into the ATP 250 a week ago but has now withdrawn due to a back issue. Rune underwent a medical evaluation that concluded his problem isn’t severe. However, he has been advised to rest.
“Unfortunately, I won’t be able to play in Brussels as planned. My back has seized up, but fortunately, scans have confirmed that it’s nothing serious,” Rune wrote on social media.
“So two-three days rest. Just really annoying and unfortunate timing.”
The 23-year-old returned to competitive tennis last month in the Davis Cup following recovery from a serious Achilles rupture, which required surgery. At the team event, he won both singles matches during his country’s tie with Bulgaria. One of those wins was over Grigor Dimitrov.
However, Rune has yet to win a match on the ATP Tour in his comeback. He lost in the first round of the Japan Open to Kyrian Jacquet and in the first round of the Shanghai Masters to Daniel Altmaier. As a result, he has fallen to 195th in the rankings.
Nevertheless, Rune has plenty of support, with both Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz urging him to take his time as he returns.
“Movement in tennis, I would say it’s almost everything. I think his (Rune’s) style is about the movement, to move well on court and cover the court as much as he can,” Alcaraz recently told reporters in Shanghai.
“He might lose some matches right now, but personally I’m really happy to see him back on court. He came to Murcia to practice with me for one week. Then I saw him playing good. It is about getting into matches and getting into the rhythm of competition, which is really, really important.
“He has to be patient because it’s going to be a slow process, but he’s going to get to the point he wants to get
Rune has won five ATP titles so far in his career, including the 2022 Paris Masters.
