Rune Reconsiders Selling Broken Rackets After Sponsor’s Angry Reaction

Holger Rune's racket sponsor, Babolat, was very unhappy with him for attempting to sell his broken rackets at very high prices.

The Dane recently defended himself from online criticism after fans noticed him selling broken rackets. One fan called Rune detestable for charging as much as $6,000 while calling it a charitable act.

Rune was in a mood to apologize when responding to the account that termed him detestable. The 22-year-old said he does what he can for charity and asked the commenter what they had done for charity.

It turns out that fan reaction was not Rune's biggest issue. Babolat did not like the message that was sent by Rune selling rackets he had destroyed, something outlined by the company's Tennis Business Leader, Marion Cornu, when speaking to CLAY and RG Media.

The same website that interviewed Cornu reported that Rune sold one of the rackets, with the proceeds going to charity. The team running the two-time French Open quarterfinalist's shop has now removed others listed.

Rune undoubtedly had no ill intent when putting the broken rackets up for sale. The fact that all proceeds did and were going to charity shows that the ATP star just wanted to get something out of rackets he could no longer use.

At the same time, Babolat's position is entirely understandable. Sponsors pay a heavy price for their products to be seen during matches, and having someone draw attention to the times their equipment got smashed is not the best look.

Unfortunately for Babolat, Rune's racket was only used for one match at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. Despite winning the opening two sets, he crashed out to Nicolas Jarry in the opening round.

Rune struggled with an injury in the sets he lost. The 2022 Paris Masters Champion made brutally honest remarks in his press conference afterward, saying he would win the match nine times out of ten without that physical issue.

A few years ago, some thought a possible Big 3 might develop containing Rune, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner. Instead, Alcaraz and Sinner have established themselves as the two best ATP players since the start of 2024.

The pair have split the last six Grand Slams. That includes their memorable 2025 Roland Garros final last month when Alcaraz saved three championship points in the fourth set before winning in a deciding set tiebreak.

How incredibly Alcaraz and Sinner performed in that match demonstrated why they have separated themselves and why some think Novak Djokovic, at his best, is the only one who can come close to challenging them.

Rune has a lot of work ahead to match his young rivals. If he can stay injury-free for a considerable period and keep training hard, he will have the best chance of making the improvements necessary to reach the top.