Holger Rune shares details about back injury that's to blame for his struggles
09/18/2023 09:30 AM
World No 4 Holger Rune says the ongoing back injury isn't allowing him to "play at the level I want" and highlighted that resolving the issue is his priority. Since mid-July, Rune has been heavily impacted by a back injury and has suffered six consecutive defeats. Most recently, Rune suffered a shock loss to Thiago Monteiro in the Davis Cup on Friday. "During the clay season, there was a pinched nerve at L5 (the fifth lumbar vertebra in the spine), so it’s not so good. I know it can be fixed and I get to spend my time fixing it now. I can feel that I can’t play at the level I want, even if I want to and am willing to give 100 percent, I can’t get the same speed in the serve and get the free points I want.” Rune told Danish TV2.
"I will be scanned on Monday, and then we will see what we can do about it. Then it will be fixed. I'd say I'm not coming back until it's 100 percent," Rune said. Now that the US Open is over, the time has come for the indoor season. When asked about his plans for the indoor season, Rune hinted that he may decide to miss some or all events. For now, Rune's focus is on resolving his back issue. "I have no idea about that right now. The plan is to get ready for the Laver Cup and Beijing. I have not signed up for anything. The plan is to get it fixed as soon as possible - but so that it is fixed 100 percent, take whatever time it takes," Rune said. Rune's last win came at Wimbledon, where he won his first four matches before losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinal.
