Rune withdraws from Hamburg and Roland-Garros as Dane refuses to come back at “less than 110%”
Holger Rune is not coming back yet. The 22-year-old Dane, seven months out from Achilles surgery, does not want to feel “almost ready” but “110%” when he returns.
Holger Rune, Rome 2024 | © Regina Cortina for MTG
Danish former world No. 4 Holger Rune has withdrawn from both the Hamburg Open and Roland-Garros, ending a comeback timeline that had been built around the Paris Grand Slam, where he has reached the fourth round twice.
Rune, who ruptured his Achilles tendon in October and underwent surgery the same month, announced the decision in a statement, framing it as a refusal to come back at half speed. “It’s not about being able to play a few matches, but an entire tournament, and I don’t want to feel almost ready, but ready at 110% when I have to compete again,” the 22-year-old wrote.
The withdrawal follows the release of fan-captured images of Rune practising in Monaco in recent days, in which the Dane is visibly limited in his running and lateral movement – a picture that fits the surgical timeline and a player still working through the late stages of his Achilles rehabilitation.
Bonzi in for Roland-Garros
The withdrawal opens up a spot in the Roland-Garros main draw for Benjamin Bonzi. Rune, now virtually ranked No. 43 in the world after losing the points he earned in Rome last year, will drop a further 200 and is set to fall to around No. 60 after the French Open.
Rune has been steadily public about the rehabilitation since leaving Stockholm in tears on 18 October. Within 24 hours he confirmed on Instagram that his Achilles was “full broken on the proximal part” and that surgery was booked for the following week. By December he was at Aspetar, the specialised sports-medicine hospital in Doha, telling Sports Illustrated he was “slightly quicker” than the timetable his team had set out; in early January he admitted he was still learning to walk without a limp.
A 26 January video showed him hitting balls again under the caption “13 weeks since my Achilles rupture and rehab is going really well… #comebackloading.” By March he was training in Monaco, and on 9 April the Bitpanda Hamburg Open confirmed his return for 17-23 May.
