“I still have my last heavy physical rehab block to finish before I can dance around a tennis court again" - Holger Rune set to miss 'favourite' Monte-Carlo Masters as rehab continues

Holger Rune has been stranded on the sidelines after a nasty achilles injury which has halted his tennis career for the time being at the Stockholm Open. It is confirmed that he will be out for a long time, with the Dane unable to return to his favourite tournament on the ATP calendar: the Monte-Carlo Masters.

The first Masters 1000 on clay in 2026 will be hosted in Monaco from April 4-12, closely following the end of the Sunshine swing, as clay becomes the dominant surface for a couple of months, as all roads lead towards the French Open.

Carlos Alcaraz stormed to glory last year, coming back from a set deficit to defeat Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 for his first triumph in this tournament. Rune has also enjoyed some deep runs in Monte-Carlo, but this will not be possible with his injury preventing him from taking to the court.

He confirmed the news on X, confirming that he will not be involved but will be watching from the stands as he follows his favourite tournament from a distance. “This year I will enjoy my favourite hometown tournament, the Monte-Carlo Masters from the stands,” he wrote. “As much as I wanted this to be my comeback tournament, I still have my last heavy physical rehab block to finish before I can dance around a tennis court again.”

Rune ruptured his left achilles in the 2025 Stockholm Open semi-finals, ending his run in the tournament while leaving him stricken on the floor in a huge amount of pain and distress. The worst possible outcome evolved from this injury. This meant that he was likely to miss so much of the 2026 calendar, possibly all four Grand Slams as he continues his rehabilitation.

Rune made his debut at the Monte-Carlo Masters back in 2021. It was his second Masters 1000 event, but he was still winless from both of them, losing out to Casper Ruud 6-2, 6-1. He went one step better the next year, defeating Aslan Karatsev in three sets before again losing to Ruud.

In 2023, he really made his impact on the tournament. The likes of Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner were defeated enroute to a second Masters 1000 final, looking to back up the success in the Paris Masters the previous year. He took a one-set advantage over Andrey Rublev but was unable to get the job done against the Russian who snatched the title away in a 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 victory.

He was halted in his tracks in the quarterfinal in 2024 against Sinner, who got his revenge from the year before. He went winless last year as his tournament was cut short after retiring against Nuno Borges. His participation in a sixth Monte-Carlo Masters is not on the cards as he targets a return in 2027.