Holger Rune looked to have picked up a serious injury in his semifinal clash against Ugo Humbert in Stockholm. The Dane was a set up and appeared to be heading to his first Tour level final since April, but pulled up mid-point with the scores tied at 2-2 in the second set.
Rune played a forehand before seemingly landing strangely and immediately pulled up, telling the physio, through tears, that he heard his achilles tendon pop. An achilles tear is not a particularly common injury in tennis, but can lead to athletes facing an entire year out injured depending on the severity.
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More commonly seen in basketball, many famous basketballers have suffered similar injuries to the one Rune appeared to pick up. Kevin Durant and Tyrese Haliburton are just two players who suffered serious achilles injuries, and both missed an entire NBA season because of it.
The injury comes at an unfortunate time for Rune, who was finding some form as the race to the ATP Finals starts to really heat up. At only 22-years-old, the World No.11 has already suffered his fair share of injuries and has had a rollercoaster career in his five years on Tour so far.
Rune burst onto the scene in late 2022, when he defeated five top 10 players in a row to win the Paris Masters, including an incredible comeback from a set down against Novak Djokovic in the final. Since then, though, Rune has only won two titles; a 250 in Munich and a 500 in Barcelona, and his body has struggled to keep up with him. Despite still being relatively young, he has suffered from chronic back pain on multiple occasions, as well as constant muscle injuries halting his chances of building any momentum.
Without wanting to speculate, if this new injury is as bad as it first looks, this will be his biggest set back to date, and there are cases where athletes have never been the same after suffering such serious injuries. But hopefully, it is not as serious as first feared, and Rune can make a full recovery and continue to be one of the most exciting names in tennis.
Main photo credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
