Holger Rune has already withdrawn from consecutive ATP events in Hamburg and Umag with an Olympic debut looking increasingly doubtful.
Holger Rune has sat as highly as four in the world, but has recently suffered a slight career stall in the past year as his closest rivals Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have forged ahead.
Rune lost in controversial style to seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic, as well as being dumped out at the same stage at the French Open by Alexander Zverev.
After making the quarter-finals in Hamburg, Rune was forced to retire in his match against the eventual champion Arthur Fils.
The 21-year-old had flown to Croatia to compete in the ATP 250 event in Umag as a warm-up for the Olympics next week, but along with Stan Wawrinka has been forced to withdraw.
The third seed has struggled with injuries in the last 12 months, with several coaching changes, including a brief stint working with Boris Becker, also waylaying the youngsters early career.
Holger Rune provides concerning injury update ahead of the Olympics
Rune frequently reports to his 877,000 followers on Instagram to update them on his travels, fitness, and training.
On Monday afternoon, the Dane shared the difficult news that the injury to his wrist was still causing him problems: “Unfortunately the first exams of my wrist is not looking good. Therefore I will not be able to compete in Umag this week.
“Now I will get some more exams tomorrow and we will see if the conclusion is the same.”
Rune then interestingly engaged with a fan in the comments providing a crucial Olympics update, with the Dane responding to the question, “…And the Olympic Games?”
Rune replied with a short, but no less troubling update saying: “Don’t know yet. Doesn’t look too good.”
The Dane is scheduled to play in the men’s singles and has also expressed hopes of playing alongside former world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki in the mixed doubles competition.
Does Holger Rune have enough to keep up with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner?
Rune’s lightning career start has unfortunately unravelled in recent months, while fellow 21-year-old Alcaraz has just leapt to his fourth major win, with his victory at Wimbledon a week ago.
His astonishing run in the 2022 Paris Masters saw him beat five top-10 players in a row, as he saw off Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Alcaraz, and Félix Auger-Aliassime, before beating Djokovic in the final.
This victory made Rune the youngest champion in Paris since his eventual coach Becker in 1986.
Now sitting in 16th in the ATP rankings, various off-court changes and distractions for Rune have allowed Alcaraz and Sinner to reach far loftier heights.
While Rune was quietly tipped as a medal contender for Paris, with the Olympics often unfurling in a less predictable way than the four majors, serious doubts remain over his fitness.
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