335 days later: Holger Rune makes poignant return to tennis in Davis Cup triumph

After a painful 11 months away from the sport, Holger Rune came back to tennis with a win. He defeated Iliyan Radulov 6-3, 6-3 in the Davis Cup as Denmark got back level with Bulgaria, but all the spotlights were on Rune in Hillerød.

It was an emotional return for Rune who ruptured his achilles at the Stockholm Open. When facing Ugo Humbert in the semi-finals, he suffered the devastating injury which proved to be the worst-case scenario.

He put in a lot of time to get back to full fitness, documenting his time away from the sport as he got closer and closer. Finally he was deemed fit enough after shading caution with the US Open. It is a fitting return for Rune, competing on home soil for his country while prevailing in the mean time and helping them get back on level terms after Grigor Dimitrov defeated Elmer Moller in three sets.

It has been 335 days since Rune hit a ball in a competitive scenario. He relished the chance and capped it off with a straight sets win. He spoke after the match with the emotions, showcasing how much it all meant to him.

"Wow it’s crazy,” Rune said, being taken aback by everything. He composed himself before speaking on his return to competitive action.

“It’s been, it’s been pretty brutal,” Rune stated. “Obviously a super unfortunate injury that happened 11 months ago, but we have trained a whole lot. I’ve gotten up every day and done my rehab to be able to stand here today. So I’m proud of myself, and this is the perfect way for me to start here in Denmark, in front of the best crowd in the world. So thank you so much for coming out and supporting.”

It was not just Rune caught up in it all. One of his most loyal supporters, his mum, was in the stands watching her son prevail on the big stage. She had been with him for the entirely of his tennis career and was also overcome with emotion to see him return.

Aneke Rune shared her raw thoughts to Danish outlet B.T. “It was really beautiful to see. It was so wonderful and liberating to see his joy. He is simply in his element on a tennis court—that much is obvious. Nothing seems forced or artificial when he is out there.”

The former World No.4 was one of the most touted talents on the ATP Tour. The former Paris Masters champion is also a three-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist and in the last campaign, defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Barcelona Open.

His career was stalling slightly ahead of the injury as he started to slip down the rankings. That was until he missed almost an entire season of tennis thanks to the achilles problem, but now he is back, fit and fresh with a lot of motivation to kick on and unlock his potential.

Rune still has another match to play for Denmark, and it is a crucial one. He will take on former World No.3 Grigor Dimitrov following the doubles match. Whoever wins that tussle will be one win away from triumphing in the tie. That will put the pressure on Rune and Dimitrov, who are set to play out an enthralling contest.

His official ATP return is set to occur at the Japan Open. The likes of Alcaraz, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiaofe and Rafael Jodar will battle for the title with Rune in desperate need for matches. The 23-year-old will then partake in the Shanghai Masters as he gears up for a return to the European Indoor hardcourt swing.