Just In: Fit- again Rune ready for comeback after ‘Wow’ moment against Carlos Alcaraz
Despite beating Carlos Alcaraz in practice, Holger Rune opted not to make his long-awaited comeback at the US Open. Instead, he will return to action after 11 months out at the Davis Cup as Denmark face Bulgaria.
It will be the first time Rune has played competitively since suffering an Achilles injury in October 2025.
A knee issue delayed his comeback further, and he decided against playing the final Grand Slam of the season in New York, despite positive signs in practice against world No. 3 Alcaraz.
“On our last day, I beat him in a practice set, and thought ‘wow, maybe I should just go to the US Open‘. But then I told myself it was only a practice set. I need to be able to last four or five sets,” he told TNT Sports.
“It wouldn’t have made any sense to go over there just to play two rounds. I’m not interested in competing if I don’t believe I can win the tournament. It has all been performance-based. How do I feel during point-play practice and stroke practice, and how does my body respond afterward following long sessions?
“I’ve passed all the physical tests, but again, it’s on the tennis court that I need to feel comfortable. We were pretty good at identifying exactly what needed to improve. Where do I feel just a little too slow? Where do I need to get a little better? Then we went home and continued working on those areas, both on and off the court.
“Now I feel ready again, and I think it’s the perfect start to use these one or two matches to see where I stand.”
Rune was ranked at No. 4 in the world in 2023, and has reached three Grand Slam quarter-finals.
The 23-year-old has been talked about as a potential rival to Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at the top of the men’s game.
But, for now, ranked at No. 114 in the world, Rune says his focus is getting back into rhythm and regaining confidence in his game ahead of the 2027 season.
“It’s going to be interesting,” he said. “It’s going to be exciting. I want to use this year to test myself, and see where I stand.
“I’d like to be able to look back at the end of the year and say, ‘okay, I’ve won matches, I’m back, and I’m motivated for a good off-season and to get ready for the Australian Open’.
“So it’s a bit of a test year.
“At the same time, I’m extremely competitive, and I simply don’t accept losing, so that’s something I have to keep in mind as well.
“But again, I only see it as a positive thing. Those are the qualities that have allowed me to achieve what I have in my career. If I didn’t have that mindset, I would never have come this far.
“Friday is a bit of a test to see how I handle matches. If I handle it really well, great. If I handle it terribly, okay, then there’s more work to be done. But this is the right time to get back out on court and compete, because I’ve done all the groundwork.
“A strong autumn with plenty of good matches, a good off-season, and a whole lot of belief.”
Rune plays world No. 596 Ilyan Radulov in his first match in singles on Friday.
He is then scheduled to take on former world No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday.
