Holger Rune says he has learned to take nothing for granted after being sidelined from the Tour for almost a year due to an Achilles injury.
The former world No.4 made his return to competitive tennis last weekend in the Davis Cup, winning both of his singles matches in Denmark’s tie with Bulgaria. One of those victories was over Grigor Dimitrov, who he ousted in a tough three-set battle.
Rune’s winning return has been a long time coming. In October 2025, he ruptured his proximal left Achilles tendon whilst playing at the Stockholm Open and had to undergo surgery shortly afterwards.
“I didn’t realise the situation was that serious,” Rune recounts during an interview with Ubitennis.com.
“I told the physio, on court, that I didn’t want to retire: I was a set and a break ahead in the semi-final and felt mentally ready to finish the match. The adrenaline was pumping. But when I tried to stand up, I realised he was right: I couldn’t play. And so began eleven months of hard work to get back on court.”
The injury blow wasn’t just a physical test for the Dane. It also took a toll on his mental health at times. Rune set out various comeback dates earlier this year, but each time he wasn’t fully recovered to do so.
“I was sure I’d be back for Indian Wells. I never imagined it would take so long,” he admits.
“But tendons and muscles are two very different things: muscles heal quickly, tendons very slowly. I was hoping for Roland Garros, and perhaps that would have been possible had it not been for the problem.”
Among those who have overseen Rune’s recovery is his fitness trainer Marco Panichi. Italy’s Panichi, who was a two-time national junior champion in long jump, has previously worked with Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.
“He was brilliant,” Rune said in praise of Panichi.
“He has a different approach to recovery, and we worked a lot on the entire kinetic chain. This also made the physical training less tedious.”
The 23-year-old is eager to return to the top as soon as possible. So far in his career, he has won five Tour-level titles, the most prestigious of which is the 2022 Paris Masters. At the Grand Slams, he has reached the quarter-finals of the French Open twice and Wimbledon once.
Looking ahead to his return to the Tour, Rune believes there hasn’t been a lot of change when it comes to the dominance of the big names in men’s tennis.
“I think that, to date, there haven’t been any players as consistent at the top as Carlos, Jannik and Zverev,” he said.
“I don’t see them as any more or any less vulnerable than they were before my injury.”
Rune isn’t easing his way back into competition. He has already set out a plan to compete in five tournaments by mid-November. The first of these is the Japan Open, which starts next week.
“I’ll be playing my first ATP tournament in Tokyo. It’s a fantastic tournament and I can’t wait to return there,” he said.
“Next up: Shanghai, Basel, Paris and Stockholm. After that, I’ll take stock with my team and work on the areas I need to improve ahead of the Australian Open.”
