Holger Rune Admits He Was Impressed by Level of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Alexander Zverev During Injury Hiatus

After an 11-month injury layoff, Holger Rune finally returned to action at the Davis Cup. During Round 1 of the World Group 1 tie between Denmark and Bulgaria, Rune played two singles matches, winning both.

The match against Iliyan Radulov was his first tour-level match since the semifinals of last year’s Stockholm Open. Rune won it in straight sets, while in his next match, he came from a set down to defeat Grigor Dimitrov. On the back of Rune’s wins and Elmer Moeller‘s win over Radulov, Denmark won the tie 3-2. While Rune was on the sidelines, he kept a close eye on the ATP Tour, particularly on the top three players: Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev.

I think that, to this day, we haven’t seen players as consistent at the top of the rankings as Alcaraz, Sinner, and Zverev. I don’t see them as any more or less vulnerable than before my injury.

Holger Rune told reporters (H/T: Tennis365)

Alcaraz, like Rune, was forced to stay on the sidelines, but for only four months. He injured his wrist during the Barcelona Open and did not compete in another tournament before the US Open, where eventual runner-up Ben Shelton stunned him in a five-set thriller in the quarterfinals. But before his injury, he lifted the Australian Open and the Qatar Open.

Sinner, due to his knee injury, skipped the US Open, prior to which, he first took home five back-to-back Masters 1000 titles before defending his crown at Wimbledon by beating Zverev. It’s Zverev who was the most consistent in Majors this season, playing the semifinals of the Australian Open, losing the Wimbledon final, and winning the French Open and the US Open.

Alcaraz and Zverev will next compete at the Laver Cup, while Sinner will play at the China Open, where he is the defending champion. Following the Laver Cup, the Spaniard will be bidding to defend his title at the Japan Open, which will also be Rune’s first tour-level singles tournament since the 2025 Stockholm Open.

I’ll play my first ATP tournament in Tokyo. It’s a fantastic tournament, and I’m looking forward to going back there. After that will come Shanghai, Basel, Paris, and Stockholm. After that, I’ll take stock with my team and work on the aspects I need to improve for Australia.

Holger Rune added

Last year in Tokyo, the Dane lost to Jenson Brooksby in the quarterfinals. Rune, a former World No.4, is currently ranked 142nd.

Grigor Dimitrov backs Holger Rune to have a fantastic career

Grigor Dimitrov has no doubt that Holger Rune will not only learn from his injury but will also grow from that experience. The Bulgarian said during his interview with SpilXperten that had he suffered a major injury setback earlier in his career, it would have helped his tennis in the long run.

In a way, I… This is ( ), what I am going to say about myself, but I have been so fortunate throughout my career to never have anything major, up until some years ago, and sometimes I kind of wish that I had a bigger obstacle earlier on in my career, just like Holger now. That’s really my advice for him: to learn and grow from this experience. We learn and grow from pain; that’s just life, unfortunately, both on and off the court.

Last year, Dimitrov was on the verge of defeating Jannik Sinner in the fourth round of Wimbledon as he clinched the first two sets. But he injured his right pectoral muscle and ended up retiring mid-match.

Before the Davis Cup, Dimitrov played the US Open, where, after qualifying for the main draw, he lost in the first round. He will next be competing in a Challenger in Saint-Tropez.

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