Holger Rune facing long spell out after undergoing surgery on nasty injury

Holger Rune faces a long spell on the sidelines after revealing he has ruptured his left achilles.

The Dane, ranked 11th, pulled up sharply during his semi-final against Ugo Humbert at the Nordic Open in Stockholm on Saturday and was in tears while he was attended to by the trainer.

And Rune's worst fears have proved accurate, with the 22-year-old writing on Instagram: "It's gonna be a while before I can step on court again. It's tough. I had so much joy on court in Stockholm and it's unbearable to think that I will not feel this energy for some time now.

"My Achilles is full broken on the proximal part meaning I need operation already next week and from here rehabilitation."

The physical demands of the tour were already in the spotlight, and Britain's Jack Draper, himself sidelined with bone bruising in his arm, wrote on X after Rune's withdrawal: "Injuries are going to happen... we are pushing our bodies to do things they aren't supposed to in elite sport.

"We have so many incredible younger guys on the tour right now and I'm proud to be apart of that, however, the tour and the calendar have to adapt if any of us are gonna achieve some sort of longevity."

PA