"Why the f**k is he still playing through that?";"He's so stupid, his coaches are stupid" - Tennis fans stumped by Holger Rune’s spinal injury update

Tennis fans on the internet were shocked to learn about Holger Rune's recent spinal injury update.

Rune pulled out of Denmark's Davis Cup tie against Brazil on Saturday, following which his mother Aneke revealed that an injury to his spine was the reason for his withdrawal.

"It hurts every time he pushes for the serve. And large doses of ibuprofen haven't worked. It happened in Rome and worsened during the French Open because he swayed so much during his serve," Aneke Rune said.

She also mentioned that the 20-year-old had refused to take medications any further as they didn't improve his situation.

"It needs to go away because it's unbearable for Holger to play in pain. Yesterday (Friday), he said, 'I don't want to take more pills; it doesn't help,” Aneke added.

Tennis buffs were livid with Rune's ignorance in treating the issue persistant since May. A fan wrote:

"Nothing drives me more crazy watching tennis than a player with a major injury refusing to rest it. Has only made it worse in likelihood, and doesn't give it time to recover."

Another fan wondered if it was Holger Rune himself who continued playing with the injury or if it was a member of his team who advised him to do so.

"This sounds horrible, especially for someone so young. I really wonder if he’s too stubborn to rest and his team can’t tell him no, or if someone on his team is giving him this terrible advice," the fan tweeted.

A user chimed in saying:

"They need to shut his season down, wtf are they all doing omg."

Here are a few more reactions from X (formerly Twitter):

Holger Rune - "It's the last Grand Slam of the year, played some of my worst tennis"

Holger Rune in action: 2023 US Open

Holger Rune crashed out of the 2023 US Open in the first round, with the fourth seed losing 3-6, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6 to Roberto Carballes Baena. After the match, he admitted that his performance was below par.

"I mean, obviously we are all disappointed in the team, I think it's normal. It's the last Grand Slam of the year, I played some of my worst tennis," Rune said during the post-match press conference.

He also parted ways with coach Patrick Mouratoglou after the exit. He had hinted the same during the press conference.

"Only one thing I can do is learn from it is try to get stability in my team, stability around me, and, you know, do all the right things so I can perform when I'm on the court," Holger Rune added.