Holger Rune‘s tweet wasn’t a response to some random online chatter. A day earlier, his mother and representative, Aneke Rune, told L’Équipe that the US Open would “certainly not” be part of his plans, and that a comeback during the Asian swing was the more prudent option. Rune, out since rupturing his left Achilles at the Stockholm Open last October, wasn’t ready to let that stand as the final word.

“I see conclusions on me withdrawing from US Open. I did not withdraw,” Rune tweeted on X. “I am working super hard everyday and as soon as I am ready, I am ready. I hope it will be US Open.”

The defiance comes after a string of comebacks that never actually happened. Since May, planned returns at Hamburg, Roland Garros, Queen’s, and Wimbledon were all pushed back. Rune withdrew from Cincinnati just days ago, replaced in the draw by Daniel Merida. The former world No. 4 has since fallen to No. 99 due to the layoff.

Even as he holds hope for New York, Rune has been candid about the more realistic plan. On the Serve With Andy Roddick podcast, he pointed to a Davis Cup tie on home soil as the likelier starting point for his return.

“We’re looking to maybe start my comeback with Davis Cup at home,” Rune said. “Could be a possibility. So I would love that, to be fair, get my comeback in front of all my Danish fans. Would be amazing.”

Denmark hosts Bulgaria September 18-19 in Hillerod, and the format works in Rune’s favor on two fronts. It is a best-of-three-set competition, a gentler reintroduction than the five-set grind of a Grand Slam. Furthermore, the home crowd offers an emotional lift he will likely need to reset mentally after such a long layoff.

Whatever the final decision, it hinges entirely on how Rune’s Achilles responds in training over the coming weeks. His injury in the first place is a reminder of just how punishing the current ATP calendar can be for a top player.

Holger Rune’s Injury Being a Result of Schedule Overload

In the lead-up to his injury in Stockholm last year, Rune was already running on fumes. After a difficult North American hard-court swing that ended in a second-round exit at the US Open, he had to pivot straight to a clay-court game for the Davis Cup tie against Spain.

From there, he headed to the Laver Cup, where the faster indoor conditions demanded a completely different style of tennis, before facing the outdoor conditions in Tokyo and Shanghai. The heat in Shanghai was brutal that year too, with the tournament seeing multiple withdrawals because of it.

When Rune went down getting injured against Ugo Humbert in Stockholm, it looked less like bad luck and more like a body that had simply run out of road. Rune echoed that sentiment himself in a recent interview with AFP.

“Everything in a row was just too much for me. And I think at the end my body got the answer of that,” said Rune. “Obviously, now, coming back from an injury, I feel no pressure really. “I just want to go out there and enjoy myself, enjoy being back and try to be the biggest beast I can and deliver.”

Considered one of the faces of the sport’s next generation alongside Alcaraz and Sinner, Rune will be eager to get back to proving that once he’s able to. Even with underwhelming Slam results last year, he still put together 36-22 record for the season, winning the title in Barcelona and finishing runner-up in Indian Wells, a level he’ll be chasing to rediscover whenever his comeback finally sticks.