Holger Rune opens up about 'vile' abuse and death threats he receives online
NewsFriday, 17 October 2025 at 17:45
Holger Rune is one of the best players on the ATP Tour, but even that doesn't help him avoid facing death threats online.
Rune is one of the most promising talents on the men's Tour. He's ranked 11th in the world, and after reaching the semi-finals at the 2025 Stockholm Open, he will return to the Top 10 next Monday.
The young Dane first broke through in 2022 when he won the Paris Masters, but since then, he has failed to keep up with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, with whom he was once predicted to form a "new Big Three.
Despite his inability to challenge for major titles, Rune still remains one of the most talented players, but even that doesn't shield him from the reality of the online world. Like many of his colleagues, the 22-year-old faces abuse online.
Rune is present on most social media platforms, such as Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). Using those platforms is a great opportunity for tennis players to leverage their popularity and boost their earnings through brand deals.
At the same time, it exposes them to people, mostly bettors, who send them messages and write comments under their posts, which often include abuse and death threats.
Journalist Nicholas Albek, who covers the event for SpilXperten, spoke with Rune in Stockholm, and the Danish player opened up about how challenging it is for tennis players to face constant death threats, essentially regardless of whether they win or lose.
"I try not to read that kind of stuff because it’s just pretty vile. But there are a lot of death threats both to me and my family. I just think it’s wild that there are people who can even think of writing something like that."
"It’s a huge problem for the sport, but you shouldn’t listen to them, because you should never take that kind of thing or advice from your 'haters' or people who aren’t doing better than you, and they clearly aren’t."
The sad reality is that even though death threats and the behavior of some of the fans online are completely unacceptable, most of the tennis players essentially got "used to it," which Rune also admitted.
"You get used to it. You get used to not letting it get to you, but I think we’ve reported it to the police once or twice when it’s gone too far, but otherwise, you just move on. I don’t know if the tournaments can do anything about it. I think the French Open at one point had a system where you could report it, but I’m really not sure what the solution is."
During his stay in Stockholm, tennis fans likely haven't sent Rune many negative messages, as he made his way to the final four after beating Tomas Martin Etcheverry in a three-set battle, beating the Argentinian 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4. Up next, he will take on the fourth-seeded Ugo Humbert.
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