Holger Rune gives update on achilles recovery and plans to close gap on Alcaraz, Sinner

The Dane was brought to tears and had to be helped off the court due to the Achilles injury that forced him to retire in his semi-final match against Ugo Humbert at the Stockholm Open in October.

Rune confirmed afterwards that his Achilles was "fully broken" and he underwent surgery four days after sustaining the injury.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca, Rune opened up about what he felt when his Achilles tendon ruptured.

"I felt like the ground was sinking, like being in the middle of an earthquake," he said (translated from Spanish).

"My first thought was that there was a problem with the court. It didn't hurt, my foot just separated from my body. A really strange experience."

The world No 15 revealed he is targeting a return to on-court movement training in mid-February.

"My goal is to walk normally, without a limp. It requires a bit more calf strength than I have now, but it's coming quickly; I feel better every day," Rune said.

"The other goal is to gain overall strength and gradually prepare for February 12th, which will be four months after surgery, and that's the next step. My goal is to be able to move around the court and look like a tennis player.

"Depending on my progress from January 12th onwards, I might be ready to do some jumps in February, like split steps. Maybe more. But we're taking it one step at a time."

Asked if he considers the 2026 season a lost cause, Rune said: "Not at all, my ambitions are the same. And we'll see what happens. I'm sure I'll be hungry."

The 22-year-old was also asked about the difference between himself and Alcaraz and Sinner.

"Before the injury, the main difference was consistency. Novak, Rafa, and Roger were able to do what they do consistently throughout the entire season," Rune assessed.

"This isn't a skill you're born with; it's not talent, it's discipline! Years ago, I was ahead of Carlos and Jannik for a while, but I wasn't consistent and I lost that advantage.

"I was everywhere, I was young, perhaps my natural development was to go through this, and they became more and more disciplined.

"Now it's up to me to adjust my discipline, and the injury is a good start. You don't get through rehabilitation without discipline, day after day."

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