Holger Rune limped off the court during his semi-final match at the Swedish Open with a suspected injury that is likely to not only end his season, but threatens to delay the start of his next.
The world No.11 took to the court with his left hamstring strapped up for his clash against France’s Ugo Humbert. Rune looked to be in control whilst leading 6-4, 2-2, before disaster struck. During a baseline rally, the Dane pulled up suddenly and immediately started to limp on court. Rune was helped back to his chair for a medical assessment, where he was visibly upset and had no option but to retire.
There is yet to be any formal diagnosis of the injury, but it is suspected he has suffered some form of Achilles injury, which could end up sidelining him from the Tour for months. Rune’s mother, Aneke, has confirmed to TV2 via a text message that tournament medical staff are treating the issue as a torn Achilles.
“They say it’s a torn Achilles tendon. We haven’t been scanned yet, but all the doctors here say they can see it with the naked eye,” Aneke said.
Elaborating further in a separate text, Aneke believes that the initial diagnosis is correct and her son faces a lengthy time away from the sport. Should an upcoming medical test confirm Rune has a torn Achilles, he could be in doubt for the Australian Open in January.
“There is no doubt. It is a torn Achilles tendon. It is three to six months out,” she commented.
It is a devastating blow for 22-year-old Rune, who has gradually been regaining momentum on the Tour following his second round exit at the US Open. During the Asian swing, he reached the quarter-finals of an ATP 500 event in Tokyo and the Shanghai Masters. Most recently, in Sweden, he made it through to the last four of an ATP event for the first time since April.
Rune will undergo a scan on Sunday to evaluate his injury. This will determine if he requires surgery or not.
