Carlos Alcaraz has clear advice for Holger Rune as he continues his return to tennis from injury.
Rune spent nearly a year on the sidelines after rupturing his Achilles at the Stockholm Open last year.
After recently returning to competition at the Davis Cup, Rune is yet to win a match on the ATP Tour, with his most recent defeat coming in the first round of the Shanghai Masters.
Someone who knows exactly what it is like to spend an extended period of time on the sidelines this year is Alcaraz, who suffered a right wrist injury that kept him out of action for nearly five months back in April, and he has now offered Rune some advice.
Carlos Alcaraz tells Holger Rune he ‘has to be patient’ in his comeback
Alcaraz trained with Rune earlier this year as they both prepared to make their comeback to tennis, and he was asked about the Dane’s return to the ATP Tour in his pre-tournament press conference at the Shanghai Masters.
The Spaniard highlighted the difficulties Rune’s injury presents in his comeback, as Alcaraz wished him well in his return and advised him to be patient.
“Well, obviously it’s a slow process,” said Alcaraz. “The injury he had, it’s a really complicated one because, you know, I would say the movement in tennis, I would say it’s almost everything. I think his style is about the movement, to move well on court and cover the court as much as he can.
“Yeah, he might lose some matches right now, but personally I’m really happy to see him back on court. I think, you know, I practiced, he came to Murcia to practice with me one week. Then I was seeing him playing good. It is about to get into matches, to get into the rhythm of competition, which is really, really important.
“As I said, I wish him all the best. I’m happy that he came back on tour. He has to be patient because it’s going to be a slow process, but he’s going to get to the point he wants to get.”
Holger Rune’s schedule for the rest of the 2026 season
Although Rune is yet to win a match on the ATP Tour since returning, he still has more opportunities to do so before the end of the year.
Rune is scheduled to compete at three more tournaments this season in Basel, Paris, before concluding his year by returning to Stockholm, where he suffered the Achilles rupture last year.
All three of these tournaments have provided the Dane with success before, particularly in 2022, when a 19-year-old Rune reached the final of the Swiss Indoors, before winning his first and only Masters 1000 title to date in Paris, as well as the Stockholm Open.
Tournament Holger Rune is scheduled to play in 2026
Best previous result
Swiss Indoors (Basel)
Final (2022)
Paris Masters
Won the title (2022)
Stockholm Open
Won the title (2022)
Rune will be hoping to find inspiration from his previous appearances at these tournaments, as he now turns his attention to the indoor European hard courts.
The first of these three tournaments is at the Swiss Indoors, where Stan Wawrinka will retire from tennis and the main draw begins on October 26.