Holger Rune Says Alexander Zverev’s French Open Victory ‘Opens Up the Game’

Holger Rune is recovering from his Achilles tendon injury, which has kept him on the sidelines since last year’s Stockholm Open. The top two players, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, are also on the sidelines due to injury issues.

Alcaraz injured his wrist during the first round of the Barcelona Open, while Sinner is nursing a knee niggle. Both have withdrawn from the Cincinnati Masters, which starts on August 13. The two men dominated in the Majors since the start of the 2024 season, winning a combined 10 titles at this level.

Their winning streak was broken by Alexander Zverev at the French Open. Alcaraz withdrew, and Sinner lost in the second round due to cramps. Zverev seized this opportunity and ended his Grand Slam title drought with a five-set win over Flavio Cobolli.

He did not stop there. Zverev, fueled by confidence, not only reached the quarterfinals of Wimbledon for the first time, but also made the final. Sascha, however, ended up registering his 10th consecutive defeat to defending champion Sinner.

Nevertheless, Zverev’s runs at the French Open and Wimbledon have opened up the door, said Rune, a three-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist.

He definitely deserved that. He’s been on top of the game for the last so many years. So that was great to see him winning. And I think, yeah, I mean, obviously it’s still Jannik. And when Carlos is playing, these are the guys that are really dominating the finals of the big tournaments. But it was great to see someone else winning, to be fair.

Holger Rune said on Andy Roddick’s Served podcast

Next Major is the US Open. Alcaraz is the reigning champion, but his participation is in doubt after his Cincinnati Masters withdrawal. He beat Sinner in the final last year.

It opens up the game a little bit. And I think the way he carried himself through Wimbledon, playing even better, in my opinion, than French Open, was good to see. And I think now, obviously, Carlos injured and Jannik had some small issues. So I think the next, maybe the whole US swing is very open and very exciting for so many players to do a big result.

Holger Rune added

Rune is hoping to make his comeback at the US Open, where he has never made it past the third round and suffered a second-round exit last year. He could also return to the Davis Cup World Group tie against Bulgaria, which will be played from September 18 to 20.

Alexander Zverev makes top 5 comment about Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic, despite not playing many tournaments, has managed to remain a part of the top 10. His main focus is the Majors, where he makes deep runs on most of the occasions.

This year at the Australian Open, after her win over Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the final. Then, following his third-round defeat to Joao Fonseca at the French Open, Djokovic played a thrilling five-hour, 15-minute quarterfinal match against Felix Auger-Aliassime at Wimbledon, before losing to Sinner in straight sets in the semifinals.

Alexander Zverev, at the pre-tournament press conference in Cincinnati, backed Nole to maintain his position in the top five and also lauded him for his marathon win over the Frenchman at the age of 39.

If he wanted, Novak could easily stay in the top 5 for another two or three years. If he played a full schedule, he would maintain those positions, simply because of how good his tennis is.

Djokovic is also playing in Cincinnati. He last won a title here in 2023 but skipped it in 2024 and 2025.

Also read: Elena Rybakina Proud of Fighting Spirit After Surviving Naomi Osaka Scare in Toronto