Holger Rune admits he is “bitter” about being injured when there were “many opportunities” to cash in on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s injuries.

Rune tore his Achilles tendon a year ago, with the Dane sidelined for a good 10 months as a result. The 23-year-old is slowly making his way back, with the former world No 4 posting a 4-4 win-loss record in 2026.

The five-time ATP Tour title winner was once considered a Grand Slam contender, and had he been fit this year, when Alcaraz and Sinner were out for months with respective wrist and knee problems, Rune could have been competing at the back end of majors.

Rune, who is now ranked 405th in the world, made it clear this is a case of what might have been, as he has a 2-2 record with Alcaraz and a losing 3-2 one with Sinner.

He told Bolavip, “For sure, a part of me is bitter – 100%. When you look at it, it’s a really tough year to be injured in, because there have been so many opportunities on the Tour with Alcaraz and Sinner being injured.

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“But on the flip side, the matches I have lost haven’t really been against Sinner and Alcaraz. Of course, I have lost against them, but it’s not these matches that have made the difference in my career.

“When I played the final against Alcaraz in Barcelona, I beat him, and it was the same against [Novak] Djokovic, and I also beat Sinner in a semi-final (Monte Carlo 2023), so I can’t really say that it would have changed much. Actually, I prefer that both Sinner and Alcaraz are playing the tournaments I am playing because it gives me a lot of motivation.”

One man who has made the most of Sinner and Alcaraz’s absence is world No 1 Alexander Zverev.

The German won the French Open when Alcaraz was injured and Sinner suffered an early loss there and then in his US Open triumph, the Spaniard fell in the quarter-finals to beaten finalist Ben Shelton, and the Italian was unavailable for the Flushing Meadows event.

Zverev, who lost to Sinner in the Wimbledon final, admitted he was “annoyed” at all his detractors, with many pointing to his 3-9 record against the top 10 this year and capitalising on easier draws.

Now, Rune has stated that the 6ft 6in player has benefitted from Sinner and Alcaraz’s injuries but he does deserve credit for taking his chance when it came his way.

He added, “We also have to say that Zverev 100% has taken advantage of Sinner and Alcaraz being injured. Hats off to Zverev, because he has been incredibly consistent and it’s well deserved that he ends the year as the world number one.”