Holger Rune’s mid-match retirement in the semifinals of the 2024 Open Sud de France has sparked concern among tennis fans regarding his recurrent fitness issues.
Following his shock second-round exit from the Australian Open, Rune entered the ATP 250 event in Montpellier as the top seed. The Dane kicked off his campaign with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Pablo Llamas Ruiz. He then defeated Michael Mmoh 7-6(6), 6-4 to secure a spot in the semifinals.
The World No. 7 squared off against Borna Coric for a place in the final. Rune struggled during the encounter, allowing Coric to claim a 6-3, 4-1 lead before he was forced to retire after just 59 minutes of play due to an injury to his right forearm.
Tennis fans raised concerns about the latest addition to Holger Rune‘s injury woes, which plagued him throughout the 2023 season. Several fans shared their apprehensions regarding the persistent nature of the Dane’s fitness issues.
“Idk what exactly the issue is but these constant Rune health problems are EXTREMELY concerning at this point. It legitimately feels like he gets injured every other tournament he plays in,” a fan commented.
“This injury issues recently have been a bit worrying – hopefully Holger can figure things out because his potential is huge when healthy. From what I remember, he was also relatively healthy for most of 2021 and 2022, so it’s interesting that injuries are cropping up now. Coric’s level was very high though – might have won the match anyways,” another fan chimed in.
Meanwhile, one fan pointed out that Jannik Sinner dealt with similar recurrent injury issues not too long ago and expressed optimism for Rune to get through this period like the Italian had.
“Damn. Sinner also had a few issues with tournaments and health…I hope Rune can get through this. We need to see his best level,” the fan posted.
Here are a few more fan reactions to Holger Rune’s mid-match retirement: