"The comeback begins": Holger Rune eyes return from Achilles tear in Hamburg

Could we see Holger Rune back on tour before the clay season is over?

That appears to be the ideal starting point for the former world No. 4’s comeback trail.

The Bitpanda Hamburg Open announced Thursday in an Instagram collab post with Rune that the 22-year-old has confirmed his intent to play the event.

“The comeback begins,” the caption read in all caps.

The ATP 500 tournament falls the week leading into Roland Garros. Rune has kept his name on the Internazionali BNL d'Italia entry list for now as well, with Rome’s ATP Masters 1000 event taking place prior to Hamburg.

Rune has been missing in action since last October, when he suffered an Achilles tear at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm. The Dane has kept his fanbase up-to-speed throughout the recovery process on social media, regularly posting videos and photos of a rehab and training program that’s seen him split time between Doha and Monte Carlo.

In January, Rune published a video of himself hitting forehands from a fixed position. By February, Rune updated, “Just entered week 17 of my rehab and did my first small jumps. Progressing very well, step by step. Just before Christmas I could barely walk, so the progress is extremely satisfying for me.”

Last month, he trained on an indoor clay-court at the Mouratoglou Tennis Academy in Biot, France. Rune is currently ranked No 29.