Holger Rune Weighs In on Jannik Sinner and His Injury

Holger Rune, back on the tour for the first time in Tokyo after a hiatus of over a year, is slowly trying to regain his form and rebuild his ranking: in Basel, he managed to reach the quarterfinals. Speaking to Bolavip, the Danish tennis player expressed regret over his injury, which kept him out of the race for the top spots.

“I’m disappointed, and when you think about it, this wasn’t the best season to get injured. There were plenty of opportunities on the tour given the injuries to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Zverev took advantage of their absences, but hats off to him—he’s been consistent and deserves to be number one.”

Rune says he’s convinced he can compete with the best on the tour as soon as he’s back to 100%: “Sure, I often didn’t get to face Alcaraz and Sinner; I lost other matches, and it wasn’t the matches against them that changed my career. But I beat Alcaraz in the Barcelona final and won against Djokovic and Sinner, though I can’t say the situation would have changed much.”

The Dane’s ordeal began on October 18, 2025, when he ruptured his Achilles tendon during the ATP 250 in Stockholm. His first return to the court came in September during the Davis Cup in Hillerød against Bulgaria: Rune defeated Iliyan Radulov in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, and subsequently also beat Grigor Dimitrov, proving decisive for his country. In the meantime, his ranking had slipped to just shy of the No. 150 spot, and that’s where his long climb back began.

Rune has never hidden his admiration for Jannik Sinner, with whom he trained in Monte Carlo in June: “He’s an unstoppable force. The way he hits the ball from both sides is insane.” The two share a relationship of mutual respect, further solidified by the public support the Dane gave the Italian during the Clostebol case.