Holger Rune was expected to make his Olympic debut in Paris.
The world number 16 Holger Rune has endured a disappointing, often chaotic summer of tennis.
Having been the opponent during Novak Djokovic’s outburst at the Wimbledon crowd, he’s been unable to avoid the limelight over the last month.
The 21-year-old Dane has been ranked as high as world number four in the ATP rankings, but various off-court distractions, including a variety of coaching changes, have left Rune searching for better form.
After his withdrawal from his quarter-final match with Arthur Fils at The Hamburg Open last week, Rune shared that his Olympic chances weren’t looking good.
Frustratingly, the Dane announced on Wednesday that he would be withdrawing from the games while he deals with a wrist injury.
Holger Rune shares his disappointment on social media
With top seed Jannik Sinner suffering from tonsillitis, the Italian decided to withdraw upon the advice from his doctors.
As the top stars continue to fall, Rune shared his gutted withdrawal post on X. “I am really sorry that I will be unable to play the Olympics. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to playing and being a part of.
“I have played with pain in my wrist throughout both the clay and grass season, so I have to take the medical recommendations seriously,” he explained.
“I will follow the Olympics from home and cheer on all the Danish athletes and I hope and believe that we can bring home many medals from Paris. Come on Denmark.”
With Sinner out of Paris, the seeds all moved up one spot, with Djokovic now seeded first and Alex de Minaur shifting into the top five.
Can Holger Rune ever unlock his potential?
The exceptionally speedy movement, partnered with his powerful groundstrokes give Rune the perfect recipe for major success.
Having made three career grand-slam quarter-finals by 21 is incredibly impressive, but with his contemporary Carlos Alcaraz already having stormed to four majors, it’s easy to discard Rune to one side.
His Paris Masters 1000 win in 2022 saw the Dane beat five top 10 players consecutively, including Djokovic in the final.
After an underwhelming stint under Boris Becker, Rune has since reunited with former coach Patrick Mouratoglou
Rune has every mark of a champion, but with coaching upheaval and injury woes disrupting the youngster, more stability will be the remedy to truly unlocking his potential.
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