ATP Holger Rune Grigor Dimitrov Copa Davis 2026

11 months later, Rune returns with a victory and faces Dimitrov

Andrés Tomás Rico - 18 Sep 2026
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11 months later, Rune returns with a victory and faces Dimitrov. Photo: Getty Images

Just eleven months after that tearful image of Holger Rune at the ATP in Stockholm after rupturing his Achilles tendon, the Dane is smiling again. Behind him are the surgery, rehabilitation, and tedious recovery. He was eager to return and announced his entry into tournaments in May, which he later had to withdraw from. Until the Davis Cup tie between Denmark and Bulgaria arrived, where he made a grand comeback.

Rune secured victory after defeating Iliyan Radulov, ranked 596 in the world, with a score of 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 28 minutes. In this way, he gave the first point to Denmark after Grigor Dimitrov had previously opened the tie with a victory for Bulgaria, winning in three sets against Elmer Moller (6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4).

Holger Rune and Grigor Dimitrov will face each other tomorrow in the Davis Cup

These two results confirm that tomorrow, no matter what happens in the doubles match, Rune and Dimitrov, as the number ones of their countries, will compete for a point that could give the tie to one of the two teams. Therefore, it will be a great match, although it remains to be seen how the Dane's physical condition holds up after this first match following eleven months of inactivity or even whether he opts to rest and gradually reenter the tour.

Before his return to the courts, Rune confirmed in the pre-match press conference that it was “a good opportunity to assess my level. Training is one thing, and a match is something completely different. I don't know how my body will react. I have been training a lot in preparation for this, and my game is improving day by day. I am very nervous because it has been a long time since I performed in front of an audience. But I couldn't dream of a better start than doing it at home,” said Holger Rune, who returns in a big way with the opportunity to play a high-level match tomorrow against Grigor Dimitrov.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, 11 meses después, Rune vuelve con victoria y se cita con Dimitrov