Jack Draper and Taylor Fritz Slam ‘Physically Demanding’ ATP Calendar After Holger Rune Suffers Painful Injury in Stockholm

Holger Rune was chasing his second title of the season, as well as the tournament at the Stockholm Open.

Jack Draper and Taylor Fritz Slam ‘Physically Demanding’ ATP Calendar After Holger Rune Suffers Painful Injury in Stockholm

Jack Draper, Holger Rune, Taylor Fritz (Image via X/The Tennis Letter, The Independent, ATP Tour)

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Holger Rune has become the latest player to end the 2025 season due to injury problems. In the ongoing Stockholm Open, Rune was chasing his second title of the season and was clashing with Ugo Humbert in the semifinals when he was forced to throw in the towel because of a torn Achilles tendon.

The Dane entered the match with a hamstring issue and winced in pain while jumping to hit the ball in the second set when he was 6-4, 2-2. He broke down in tears while he was receiving medical treatment and eventually limped off the court with some assistance.

Following this injury incident, Jack Draper, who is nursing an arm injury he suffered, which eventually forced him to withdraw from his US Open second round, took to X and put the entire blame on the 11-month ATP calendar, accusing it of forcing the players to always be on the move and not getting much time to rest and recover.

Injuries are going to happen… we are pushing our bodies to do things they aren’t supposed to in elite sport. We have so many incredible younger guys on the tour right now and I’m proud to be apart of that, however, the tour and the calendar have to adapt if any of us are gonna achieve some sort of longevity….

Taylor Fritz joined Draper in criticizing the calendar. Apart from the schedule, the 2024 US Open runner-up also blamed the court and ball speeds, which he and several other players think have become slower over the years. He wrote on X:

Facts, also seeing more injuries and burnout now than ever before because balls, courts, conditions have slowed down a lot making the weekly grind even more physically demanding and tough on the body.

Draper’s compatriot Emma Raducanu has also ended her season because of an illness after being forced to retire from her matches at the Wuhan Open and Ningbo Open. Naomi Osaka suffered a leg problem and pulled out of her quarterfinal match at the Japan Open. Daria Kasatkina, Paula Badosa, and Elina Svitolina have also ended their seasons.

Last year, Carlos Alcaraz, who lost to Jannik Sinner in the final of the Six Kings Slam, issued a strong-worded remark about the calendar, saying it’s “going to kill us in some way“. Iga Swiatek has also often censured the long calendar.

Ugo Humbert wishes Holger Rune a speedy recovery

Prior to this Stockholm match, Holger Rune secured the win in his previous five matches against Ugo Humbert. It was also their third match this year, following the third round of the Indian Wells Masters and the Shanghai Masters. Because of the first seed’s mid-match retirement, the Frenchman holds a 1-5 head-to-head record.

Holger Rune
Holger Rune (Image via AllAboutHQ)

It was not the way I wanted to win. I’m super disappointed for Holger. I hope he is going to be okay. I wish him a speedy recovery. It was a great match, he was playing a little bit better than me, but I’m really sorry for Holger.

Ugo Humbert said during his on-court interview

Rune was the winner in the ATP 250 event in 2022 (beat Stefanos Tsitsipas). In the final, the 27-year-old will next be locking horns with second seed Casper Ruud, who knocked out 2019 Stockholm winner Denis Shapovalov in straight sets. Humbert is chasing his second title of the season in Stockholm after his win in the Open 13 Marseille final over Hamad Medjedovic.

The Norwegian is also bidding to win his second title of the season after his Madrid Open win. Apart from Madrid, the three-time Grand Slam runner-up also played the final of the Dallas Open, losing it to Shapovalov.

Also read: Novak Djokovic Admits his 2025 Season has not Been Fully Satisfying