Holger Rune pens emotional message as he reveals reason behind 'unbearable' mid-match withdrawal at Monte-Carlo Masters

Denmark's Holger Rune was left heartbroken after being compelled to retire during his first match at the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters due to sickness. After pulling out of one of his favorite tournaments, the 21-year-old, who lives and trains in Monaco, called the experience "unbearable."

Rune's withdrawal hit an even deeper note considering his personal connection to the tournament. Not only was Monte Carlo his home tournament, but it was also the location of his incredible final run in 2023, where he lost to Andrey Rublev in a tough three-setter. Seeded No. 10 this year, Rune entered the tournament looking to repeat or even better his previous success.

Yet, health problems which had reportedly been plaguing him before the tournament were too much for the young Dane to shake off. Rune's first-round encounter with Portugal's Nuno Borges saw him clearly struggle throughout and he went on to lose the first set 6-2. After trailing 3-0 in the second set, he made the tough choice to withdraw from play and quit for the day.

Going on Instagram Stories, Rune shared a brief video from the time he retired, accompanied by a heart-wrenching message that read:

"I feel hunted with sickness. Unbearable not to be able to finish up in one of my absolute favourite tournaments."

Screengrab of Holger Rune's Instagram stories (@holgerrune)

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When Holger Rune opened up about feeling he didn’t deserve his spot in the top 5

In Picture: Holger Rune during the 2023 China Open (Source: Getty)

Holger Rune conceded that his elevation to World No. 4 in 2023 perhaps arrived prematurely, considering his condition at the time. Rune gave more credit for the ranking to the poor performance of top-seeded players rather than his performances. During an interview with Quindicizero in October 2024, Rune indicated that he deserved to be in the ATP Top 10 position but not the Top 5.

"Honestly, I deserved to be in the top 7/top 8 because of the results I achieved between the end of 2022 and the beginning of 2023," Rune said.

"But reaching the 4th place in the ranking was not a result of my work, it was a gift because of the results of the other players above me who did not defend the points from the previous year. At that moment I was not ready: my game was not top 4, as well as my mentality," he added.

Holger Rune also spoke about the role of experience in his development, pointing out that adaptation to the top level is time-consuming and player-dependent.