Danish tennis star Holger Rune was forced to retire from the Stockholm Open semifinals heartbreakingly on Saturday. The 22-year-old was leading Ugo Humbert when a sudden injury struck, leaving him in tears as he was helped off the court. His mother, Aneke Rune, later confirmed the severity of the injury to the media.
Holger Rune’s Stockholm Open Campaign Ends in Agony
Rune entered the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm as the top seed, looking to capture his second title at the tournament after winning it back in 2022. The Dane started his campaign with a solid 6-4, 6-4 victory over Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in the opening round.
In the quarterfinals, Rune faced Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry in what turned into a challenging three-set battle. The 22-year-old won the match 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4, but not without drama. Rune showed signs of physical distress during the third set, requiring a medical timeout to have his left thigh heavily taped. Despite the injury scare, he blasted 59 winners to storm into the semifinals.
The semifinal against fourth seed Ugo Humbert began promisingly for Rune. He won the first set 6-4 and was level at 2-2 in the second set when disaster struck. During a rally, Rune felt a sharp pain in his left leg and immediately pulled up, and was unable to continue playing. The moment was gut-wrenching as Rune glanced toward his box with a distressed look and broke down in tears while receiving treatment on court.
MORE: What Happened to Holger Rune? Tears and Horrific Scenes As Dane Leaves Stockholm Match Midway
Unable to continue after one hour and 23 minutes of play, Rune was forced to retire from the match. He was assisted off the court by his physiotherapist, hopping on one leg as his mother Aneke watched in concern from the stands.
Not the ending anybody wanted 😔
Humbert progresses to the final as Rune retires due to injury at 6-4 2-2#BNPParibasNordicOpen pic.twitter.com/ptMV9ZkC4S
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 18, 2025
Following the retirement, Rune’s mother and manager Aneke Rune confirmed the worst fears to Danish media outlets. “There is no doubt. It is a torn Achilles tendon. It’s three to six months out,” she stated in a text message. The injury means Rune will miss a significant portion of the tennis calendar and will undergo surgery to repair the rupture.
Rune was scheduled to compete at the Swiss Indoors Basel tournament as the third seed, set to run from October 20-26. However, the Achilles injury has ruled him out of that event and likely the remainder of the 2025 season. The timing is particularly cruel as Rune was sitting 11th in the Race to the ATP Finals in Turin, attempting to make a late push to qualify for the prestigious year-end championship for the first time since 2023.
Rune’s Recent Injury Struggles and Form
The injury comes at a difficult period in Rune’s career, marked by inconsistent results and missed opportunities. His last title came at the Barcelona Open in April 2025, where he produced a stunning performance to defeat top seed Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(6), 6-2 in the final. The victory marked his first ATP 500 title and his fifth career trophy, ending a two-year title drought and returning him to the top 10 rankings at World No. 9.
However, since that triumph in Barcelona, Rune has struggled to reach another final on tour. The Danish star has been unable to replicate that level of consistency, failing to advance deep into tournaments over the subsequent months.
In the US Open in August, he suffered a disappointing second-round exit to Jan-Lennard Struff in five sets. The Dane reached the quarterfinals at the Shanghai Masters in October but lost to qualifier and eventual champion Valentin Vacherot.
Perhaps most damaging to his reputation was a controversial episode during the Davis Cup qualifiers in September 2025. Just days after telling media outlet BolaVip that he could beat World No. 1 Alcaraz and World No. 2 Jannik Sinner, Rune suffered a shocking 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(3) defeat to Spain’s Pedro Martinez, ranked 67th in the world.
The loss drew widespread criticism from fans who questioned his bold claims after falling to a much lower-ranked opponent.
