STOCKHOLM — The professional tennis world was rocked this week not just by an injury, but by the emotional fallout and a mother's fierce public condemnation of the sport's governing body. Danish star Holger Rune was forced to retire from the Stockholm Open, left in tears and facing surgery for what his team described as a 'broken' Achilles tendon, an incident that prompted his mother, Aneke Rune, to launch a scathing attack on the ATP Tour's scheduling and player welfare protocols.
The 21-year-old Rune, a former World No. 4, was competing in his home tournament, the BNP Paribas Nordic Open, when the injury struck during his first-round match against Austrian qualifier Sebastian Ofner. After a grueling first set that went to a tie-break, Rune suddenly pulled up, collapsing to the court in visible agony. He was unable to continue, retiring from the match with the score at 6-7(7), 0-0.
A Scene of Distress and Immediate Fallout
The sight of a distraught Rune being helped off the court by his mother and coach, Boris Becker, sent shockwaves through the arena. It was later revealed that the injury was a rupture of the plantaris tendon, a small muscle running alongside the Achilles. While not as severe as a full Achilles tear, the injury is acutely painful and requires surgical intervention, casting a shadow over the remainder of Rune's season. In a heartfelt post on social media, Rune shared his devastation, writing, "Broken heart and a broken Achilles. See you next year Stockholm, I’ll be back stronger."
The emotional toll was palpable. Aneke Rune, who has been a constant and vocal presence in her son's career, did not hold back in her assessment of who was to blame. In a series of since-deleted but widely reported Instagram stories, she directly criticized the ATP, accusing the tour of prioritizing profit over player health. She specifically pointed to the relentless calendar, which she argued gives players insufficient time to recover between tournaments and surfaces.
Her posts, written in Danish, were translated and circulated by tennis media. In one, she reportedly stated, "When will the ATP start protecting the players? The calendar is a disaster. They fly us from China to Switzerland to Sweden in a matter of days, from hard court to indoor hard court, with no time for the body to adapt. It’s unacceptable." This public outburst from a player's family member is unusually direct and highlights the growing tension between top players' teams and the tour administration.
The Grueling ATP Calendar Under Fire
Aneke Rune's criticism taps into a long-standing debate within professional tennis. The modern ATP calendar is a global marathon, with players often bouncing between continents and climates with little downtime. In the weeks leading up to Stockholm, Rune's schedule was particularly brutal:
• September 23rd: Played in the Laver Cup in Berlin (indoor hard court).
• October 7th: Competed in the ATP 500 in Beijing (outdoor hard court).
• October 14th: Played in the ATP 1000 in Shanghai (outdoor hard court).
• October 16th: Started play in Stockholm (indoor hard court).
This itinerary involved three long-haul flights across multiple time zones in less than a month, with minimal break between the end of the Shanghai Masters and the start of the Stockholm Open. Sports scientists frequently warn that such a condensed schedule, combined with the physical shock of changing environments and surfaces, significantly increases the risk of soft-tissue injuries. The plantaris tendon, while not critical for movement, can be vulnerable to sudden overload, especially in a fatigued athlete.
A Wider Pattern of Player Complaints
The Rune incident is not an isolated case. Other top players have recently voiced their concerns about the physical demands of the tour. Just last month, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic commented on the "unsustainable" length of the season, while young stars like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have both managed their schedules carefully to avoid burnout and injury. The core of the complaint often revolves around a few key points that the players and their teams believe the ATP ignores:
• The Mandatory Commitment: Top players are required to play all ATP Masters 1000 events and the ATP Finals, leaving little room for rest.
• Surface Transitions: The rapid shift from hard court to clay to grass and back, often with only a week in between, is notoriously tough on the body.
• Tournament Density: The number of events crammed into the 11-month season offers few true off-seasons for recovery and training.
An ATP spokesperson, when contacted for comment on the situation, provided a standard response, stating, "The health and safety of our players is of paramount importance to the ATP. We operate a comprehensive medical services program at all tournaments and are constantly reviewing the calendar in consultation with the Player Council." This statement, however, has done little to quell the anger from Rune's camp and his supporters online.
The Role of Player Management and Team
While the ATP faces criticism, some analysts have pointed out that ultimate responsibility for a player's schedule falls to their management team. A player of Rune's caliber has the ability to be more selective with his tournament entries, using appearance fees and ranking protection to build in more rest periods. However, the counter-argument, fiercely defended by teams like Rune's, is that the structure of the tour and the ranking system itself penalizes players for skipping events, creating a "play or plummet" dilemma.
Boris Becker, Rune's coach and a tennis legend, offered a more measured perspective, focusing on the future. He confirmed the need for surgery and a rehabilitation period, telling reporters, "The most important thing now is Holger's health and his long-term career. We will get the surgery done and focus 100% on his recovery. This is a setback, but he is young and resilient." This contrasted with the raw emotion displayed by Aneke Rune, illustrating the difficult balance a player's team must strike between advocacy and diplomacy.
Conclusion: A Catalyst for Change?
Holger Rune's tearful exit in Stockholm is more than just another sports injury. It has become a flashpoint in the ongoing struggle between the commercial ambitions of global tennis and the physical limits of its athletes. The very public anger from his mother has amplified a conversation that many within the sport have been having quietly for years. While the ATP maintains its commitment to player welfare, incidents like this put immense pressure on the organization to demonstrate that commitment through tangible action.
The coming months will be critical for Rune as he undergoes surgery and begins the arduous journey of rehabilitation. The bigger question for tennis, however, is whether this event will serve as a catalyst for a genuine review of the tour's demanding structure. For the sake of its stars' longevity and health, the sport may need to finally address the punishing schedule that Aneke Rune so vehemently decried as her son was helped from the court, his season ended prematurely by a broken tendon and, in her view, a broken system.