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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.
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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:
"Holger Rune is a very good example of showing his honesty all the way when he struggles" - The Dane's mother Aneke
Holger Rune's mother, Aneke, recently shed light on her son's mindset, disclosing that while the Dane was constantly striving for perfection, he was mindful of the difficulty of achieving it.
She acknowledged that struggles were a part of his journey and expressed her appreciation for the World No. 7's honesty when navigating through such challenges.
"It’s very tough to be perfect. And I think what we see today is in some kind of extreme way we seek perfection and expect perfection. What I like with Holger is that he shows, yes, we are working towards being perfect, but there is a lot of struggle also and you’re not born perfect," she told ATPTour.com.
"You’re not born perfect to fit into your sport or your study or your job. We all do it differently and there is failing on the way, we improve, we get up there again and we keep fighting. I think Holger is a very good example [of] actually showing with his honesty all the way when he struggles, when it’s good times, when it’s bad times. This is how life is," she added.
Holger Rune is expected to be back in action at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam, joining a star-studded lineup that includes Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Andrey Rublev.
