"Might look back and think it was the best thing that ever happened": Holger Rune injury given different spin by Patrick Mouratoglou

Holger Rune’s 2025 season has come to an abrupt and devastating end after the Dane snapped his Achilles tendon during his match against Ugo Humbert at the Stockholm Open last week. The injury is expected to keep him sidelined for around a year — a brutal blow for one of tennis’s most passionate and driven young stars.

However, his former coach Patrick Mouratoglou believes that, in time, Rune may come to see this setback as a turning point in his career.

“This is the worst thing that can happen to a professional player,” Mouratoglou admitted. “But maybe in two years, Holger might look back and think that it was the best thing that ever happened to him. I always say that in the most difficult moments, the most interesting things tend to happen.”

Mouratoglou, who has worked with some of the sport’s biggest names, believes Rune’s rehabilitation period could offer him valuable time to grow away from the constant demands of the tour.

“After his surgery and during rehab, new opportunities will likely open up — things he normally wouldn’t have time for because he’s so fully focused on tennis,” he said. “He’s incredibly driven and obsessed with the sport in a good way, but that also means he rarely has time to think, study, or explore other interests.”

The French coach views Rune’s enforced break as a rare chance for reflection and transformation. “This could be a great period for reflection,” Mouratoglou continued. “When players go through difficult times, their mindset can shift, and that’s often when meaningful changes occur — ones that can have a huge positive impact on their careers.”

Speaking from personal experience, Mouratoglou concluded that adversity often leads to the most significant growth. “I lived it myself,” he said. “It was during my own toughest moments that I made the biggest and most important changes.”

Speaking to BT earlier in the week, Aneke Rune the mother of Holger Rune hit out at the authorities for a perceived lack of care from the ATP when it comes to their mandatory requirements with yet another added for 2028 in Saudi Arabia. Now Rune has 12 months off without any semblance of pay or opportunities to play.

“There have simply been too many mandatory tournaments,” claimed Aneke. “Tournaments that the players are obliged to participate in, and where they are severely penalised financially by not playing them all. The players simply do not have time to recover properly throughout the season.

“What could have been a week off with light training and recharging is now a hectic tournament week with matches every other day, while there are mandatory media events for every single tournament. There is no rest — neither physically nor mentally.

“You also have to build on it throughout the entire season. You have to include training weeks where you can work physically and optimise your game, and prevent injuries. It’s a lot for the body.

“For completely normal, healthy, well-trained bodies, it’s almost impossible to be sharp in everything that is expected of tennis players over the course of a year.”