Holger Rune became the latest player to join the tennis injury list after his apparent Achilles issue at the Stockholm Open.
Rune retired hurt during his Stockholm Open semifinal with Ugo Humbert, in which the world number 11 took the first set 6-4.
The second set was level at 2-2 when top seed Rune was reduced to tears following the unfortunate injury.
Rune struggled physically in his quarterfinal in Stockholm, but the Dane managed to progress against Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
That represented his second match at the ATP 250 event, where he started out by beating Marton Fucsovics.
Casper Ruud reacts to Holger Rune’s injury at the Stockholm Open
Humbert consoled Rune after his retirement, with their fellow ATP player Casper Ruud now sharing his reaction to the injury.
He told SpilXperten: “It’s incredibly hard to hear. It looked really bad and I know he’s going to be tested tomorrow, but I also heard he heard a distinct sound, which is a really bad sign.
“This type of injury is something you really can’t control, so it’s just extremely unfortunate. Tennis is a brutal sport and as a player you don’t want to miss months. He is still very young, so he has a long career ahead of him, so I hope he can come back strong quickly.
“I think tennis has come to a place now where it moves so fast and you have to be physically ready for every match.
“I’m not saying it wasn’t physical in the past, but I’m sometimes a little surprised by how much it takes from your body to be able to play tennis.”
Casper Ruud says if he thinks Holger Rune’s injury was caused by the ‘tough schedule’
It remains to be seen what the short-term future holds for Rune, but it does look very likely that his season has come to an early end.
The ATP number 11 won’t be the only player in that position, with Hubert Hurkacz having ended his season early.
Jack Draper has taken the same action, along with WTA stars Paula Badosa, Elina Svitolina and Daria Kasatkina.
Sharing his verdict on the calendar, world number 12 Ruud said: “It’s very demanding when you go directly from tournament to tournament.
“Holger was in Shanghai last week, and when something is so demanding, something like this can unfortunately happen.
“We’re all in some kind of risk zone when we step onto the pitch, but whether his injury has a direct connection to the tough schedule, I’m not sure.
“In a way, all injuries are probably because of the tough schedule. It’s tough of course, and we’re really pushing our own limits at the moment.
“Holger was one of those who could still make it to the season finale, so his limit was definitely pushed too, and it’s just really unfortunate that it ended this way for him. I really wish him a speedy recovery.”
Rune can now sadly wave goodbye to his chances of making the ATP Finals, for which Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic have qualified.
Danish star Rune currently occupies 12th place in the Race to Turin, while Norwegian ace Ruud is in 11th place.
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