"Apart from being remembered as the first Dane winning all Grand Slams, this is on my wishlist" - Holger Rune states how he wants to be remembered as ATP Tour return draws closer

Holger Rune has not been able to step out onto the court since his horrific injury back in October 2025. As his highly anticipated return to ATP Tour gets nearer and nearer, he sat down with the Free Journal Press to discuss his rise in tennis and how crucial his family are for that, his return from that achilles injury and his lofty ambitions in tennis as he eyes the chance to become a legend in the sport.

Tennis came naturally for Rune. In a country which did not possess the most glamorous accolades in tennis, especially on the men's side, he was motivated and driven to become the number one talent in his home country.

"It kind of came gradually," he reminisced. "It was not like one day I realised that I am good enough to go all the way. I just really loved to play and turned better and better, and then suddenly I won the European Championship in under 14, and people talked about Novak Djokovic winning this, and I was like, 'Oh wow.'"

Getting into the sport through his sister, Rune has since gone on to become one of the best in the world. He has put Danish tennis on the map. A big part of that was down to his family. "I was very lucky to have a sister and parents that were super supportive of my obsession with tennis. Because it cannot have been easy always for them.

"I know my parents put in a lot of time and also energy. In Denmark we are really good at handball, badminton and swimming. But for tennis, we had Caroline Wozniacki, but on the men’s side, it was not really normal to be very good, so no one really knew what to do, honestly. At this time I was introduced to Mouratoglou Academy, and this was really interesting for me to come there with all the pros training there and being close to them."

While tennis is a solo sport, his family, especially his prominent mother, being there to support, advise and guide him was a huge beneficiary. "It’s a solo sport. I really like to have my family around," he stated. "I have been travelling since I was very young, and I could not imagine doing this without family. Also today, for me it’s important to have family that I know is 200% honest with me and I can trust completely."

In the semi-finals of the Stockholm Open, Rune suffered a horrific injury which would halt his tennis career for the foreseeable future. Leaving the court in tears and pain, the worst possible news came out: he ruptured his achilles tendon.

This hit Rune hard, especially when this was all new to him. "I am young. You can’t imagine how it feels to suddenly not be able to walk, whether you are playing sport or not. It's terrible. In December I could not walk. I was not allowed to put weight on my leg at all. And one thing is the physical part; another thing is your whole life suddenly disappears. And I love my life. So, it’s not something you want even for your worst enemy. Injuries at this level are terrible. Not much to say. Yes, I am sure I learnt a lot, and I felt how much I missed tennis, but honestly, injuries are not nice."

Fortunately, he could rely on the support from his family and was able to pick himself back up and work on the road to recovery. "I have the best family, and they have been my biggest support every single day," he lauded. "Cheering and just being encouraging and positive, so I never felt really down. But I miss competition a lot. This part, I don’t know, I never imagined I would miss this so much. But I do. The fight. Can’t wait."

For now, he is not focusing on his return, just taking it day by day. "I don’t really think so much ahead. I am very much into it week by week. All the time. Because some things just cannot be forced, so my victories currently are my weekly goals."

Rune really made a name for himself when he broke out onto the main stage, winning the Paris Masters in 2022 against none other than Novak Djokovic in three sets. He has since been touted as one of the emerging talents in the sport, ready to challenge for all the big titles on offer.

That may have not materialised as expected, but he is still in that bracket with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to many. While the rivalry is fierce on court, there is not too much tension between players away from it.

"I think it’s more the media that wants rivalry. The reality is we are all good friends; we share the same locker, and we practise together," he said. "It’s not like boxing, where you almost feel a war going on even before stepping in the ring. I think in the older days it was not like this in tennis; today we are very open about everything, injuries, mental wellbeing, whatever. And everyone supports each other. But it’s a balance; we want the brutal fight on court. We don’t want to see matches where the opponent applauds every time you hit a winner or too much hugging."

When he returns, he will have hopes and dreams of reaching his absolute peak, challenging the best in the biggest events around the world and writing his legacy in tennis. Aged just 23, he has already achieved so much, but his ambitions are clear and high.

"Back then, in Denmark, I hoped to put Danish men’s tennis on the map again, as it was kind of dying compared to football and handball," he explained. "I think I managed to already do that now, raising more awareness, and more kids are playing at home. So this is great. And we have the best supporters in Denmark, so I am happy they also watch tennis now.

"If I look ahead, I hope to give people a great experience when I play. I want people to feel as much watching me play as they do when watching a great movie. We can cry, we can be wild, we can win together, you know what I mean? Not just watching the ball, but getting a full emotional experience."

He uttered how he would do this: "This requires a big amount of presence emotionally from me on court. Nadal was a master in this, I think. Not easy to explain, but the perfect scenario would be that whoever is watching will feel the same as me, like we take the ride together. And after the match you are totally high, both as a player and a spectator."

This moving away from the seemingly robotic and data-driven game tennis like other sports is heading to. "Like bring real human joy into a world that is becoming more and more robotic. Already now so much behind tennis is data-driven tactics and development, so the one thing original is the personality and what we bring to the court and what amount of emotions we share with the people watching.

"So apart from being remembered as the first Dane winning all Grand Slams, this is on my wishlist. And I don’t think we bring people closer by putting up cameras in the bathroom but by giving more of ourselves as players when on court."