Holger Rune’s 2025 season has been a showcase of his formidable talent and a return to prominence, marked by deep runs at prestigious tournaments. He demonstrated his hard-court prowess by reaching the final of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in March. On his favored clay, he secured a significant title by winning the Barcelona Open, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the process.

His recent performances had positioned him at World No. 11 in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, as he was making a determined push to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. However, his campaign was tragically interrupted during the semifinals of the Stockholm Open.

As reported by journalist José Morgado on X, while Rune was competing against Ugo Humbert, a devastating incident occurred during the second set with the score at 2-2. After a brief delay in play, Rune scrambled for a wide ball and immediately clutched his lower left leg, having heard his Achilles tendon pop. His team watched on in evident distress, and the 22-year-old Dane was left in tears, requiring assistance to leave the court.

The specific recovery timeline for Holger Rune’s injury has not been officially announced, and the exact nature of the Achilles issue will likely require further medical evaluation. However, the initial reports and the severity of the incident provide some concerning indicators.

Medical staff will need to determine whether this is a full rupture, a partial tear, or another related injury, as the specific diagnosis will dictate the treatment and recovery process.

Speculation from many media outlets suggests that if the injury is confirmed to be a full or partial rupture of the Achilles tendon, it could sideline the Danish star for several months. Such a timeline would not only end his 2025 season but could also impact his preparation for the start of the 2026 season. This is a brutal blow for Rune, who was in strong form during the tournament and had his sights set on qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals. While everything felt like it was going Rune’s way this time, last time the weather was not exactly in his favor.

Holger Rune opening up about Shanghai’s weather

There were quite a few retirements at the Shanghai Masters, which is a bit concerning. It was one of those days when the temperatures shot up over 86°F, and the humidity climbed above 80%. You could see players dropping out left and right, just like bees buzzing away from smoke. One of the biggest stories was defending champion Jannik Sinner having to retire mid-match because of some really bad cramping.

Holger Rune, who was still in the final eight, shared his thoughts on the conditions. After his win against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, he mentioned, “Yes, I think there should be a rule regarding the heat, like there is in the Grand Slam tournaments. I think all the players would agree on that. Today was better, as you say, it was less hot. But again, it was less hot, but if the temperature had been more normal, it would have been very hot today.”

The ATP doesn’t have a formal heat policy in place, unlike the Grand Slams. Instead, decisions about play suspensions for extreme weather rely on an on-site ATP supervisor who collaborates with medical teams and local officials. However, the WTA Tour actually has a heat policy in place to pause play when the weather gets really extreme.

So, Rune was hoping the men’s tour would follow suit, saying, “I think it was around 31 degrees and the humidity was very high. But compared to other days, it was quite brutal.” What went down at the Shanghai Masters is now off his plate, but he’s got a bigger issue to deal with in his career. Only time will tell just how serious that injury is in Stockholm.