Rune Fires Warning To Young Rivals Alcaraz and Sinner: 'Space for One More'

Wednesday, 23 July 2025 at 20:23

byErik Virostko

Holger Rune was once proclaimed as a member of the new Big Three, but right now, he has a lot of catching up to do with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Rune got off to a great start in his tennis career when he won the Paris Masters title in 2022. Since then, however, he has added only two more titles to his collection.

On the other hand, his young rival Alcaraz and Sinner have split the last seven Grand Slam titles, with the two now sharing a total of nine majors. That's a lot of ground to make up for the young Dane.

Despite now being a bit behind these two future legends, Rune is confident that he can catch up with them and challenge them for the big titles.

Rune is currently ranked ninth in the world, and, as he revealed in Washington, he is looking forward to the upcoming part of the season, believing he could challenge for a spot at the 2025 ATP Finals in Turin.

"I've had a little bit of an up-and-down year. I’ve had some good weeks, some bad weeks, and that’s what I'm trying to change. I’m already thinking about Turin with the big weeks coming ahead. It’s a golden swing for me in which I don’t have a lot of points to defend."

The 22-year-old was also asked about Sinner and Alcaraz. He knows that he was once in the same conversation as them, and still believes that he can add his name to the list once again.

"There is definitely a gap at the moment. Obviously there are players including myself that can beat them. But it's all about being in those Grand Slam finals and those Masters 1000 finals playing against them and I think there is space for one more person."

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Only a few hours after making those statements, Rune was hit by bad luck again. The Danish player was forced to withdraw from the ATP 500 tournament in Washington after he locked his back in practice.

"Super unlucky. Yesterday in practice, my back locked and I am not fit to play today. I tried it before, and nothing dramatic, just super bad timing, as I looked very much forward to playing tonight in Washington. See you all soon."

Despite missing out on a chance to challenge for the title in Washington, Rune will be one of the top favorites to win at the upcoming Canadian Open in Toronto. With Sinner, Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic all missing the tournament, there is a chance for one of the dark horses to shine.

After all the withdrawals, Rune moved up to the fifth seeding spot despite being ranked as the World No. 9 on the ATP Tour. That, and the lack of star power in the draw, significantly increases his chances of winning his second ATP Masters 1000 title.