Rune is back: "I have a lot of nerves"

Holger Rune is back. 11 months after tearing his Achilles tendon, the Danish tennis player will return to competition this weekend in the qualifying match of Davis Cup between Denmark and Bulgaria. Despite having gone through a tough time for almost a year, the former top 10 player has never lost his smile, has worked hard to make a grand return, and has acknowledged that he is nervous about seeing his current form.

Just before his injury, Rune was going through a tough period where he had proven to be one of the best tennis players in the world but could not make that leap to compete for the major titles. He himself has said on more than one occasion that he sees himself forming a 'Big Three' with Alcaraz and Sinner, but at 23 years old, he has had to experience the bitter side of the sport. Amid the nervousness and uncertainty, he will play a professional match again with many doubts surrounding his figure, even on his part.

"It's a good opportunity to check my level. Training is one thing, and a match is something completely different. I don't know how my body will react. I've been training a lot in preparation for this, and my game improves day by day. I'm very nervous because it's been a long time since I've performed in front of an audience. But I couldn't dream of a better start than doing it at home. I've put in my utmost effort in training, and now I feel ready to play a match. I couldn't have prepared better", he told Danish media before the Davis Cup qualifier.

Why didn't Rune play the US Open?

Rune had been preparing for his return for some time, and even trained with Carlos Alcaraz on the eve of the US Open in what seemed to be a trial by fire for both ahead of the last Grand Slam of the season. The Spanish player decided to travel to New York after overcoming his wrist injury, but the young Danish player considered that it was still too soon. "In the sixth or seventh month, it started to be mentally difficult because I could return to the court, but I couldn't do much. The last month and a half has been fun because I could polish the final details and start playing points again. I trained with Carlos Alcaraz in preparation and tried to be ready. I probably could have played the US Open, but I wasn't sure I could play five sets,” he stated.

His mind is now focused on helping his country to get past the qualifier against Bulgaria. Moreover, they will be playing at home, so there couldn't be a better place for the prodigal son's return to Denmark. "We just have to make the most of the advantage of playing at home, even though there are greater expectations (but they are only positive) and I've missed both the pressure I put on myself and the external pressure", he concluded. Rune is one of those players with magic that the circuit greatly benefits from, so it's great news to have him back and smiling after everything he has been through.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Rune está de vuelta: "Tengo muchos nervios"