"Helping nobody's health" - Andy Roddick adds brutal take to raging tennis schedule criticism after Holger Rune's horror injury

Andy Roddick has had his say on the tennis schedule after Holger Rune's horror injury at the recently-concluded Stockholm Open. Following Rune's injury, which left him with no option but to retire mid-match, several high-profile tennis stars voiced their criticism of the schedule, unified in their opinion that it poses a near-constant risk of injury to players.

At the 2025 Stockholm Open, Rune was the top seed, and two wins were all it took for the Dane to reach the ATP 250 event's semifinals. He began his last-four encounter against Ugo Humbert well, securing a 6-4 first-set win. However, in the fifth game of the second set, with the set's scoreline even at 2-2, the World No. 10 sustained a severe Achilles injury.

Unable to move properly and brought to tears by the development, Holger Rune eventually retired from the contest. Subsequently, several ATP stars, such as Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, Alexander Bublik and Casper Ruud, all raised their concerns regarding the tennis calendar. Recently, former No. 1 and 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick weighed in with his thoughts on the subject as well.

While Roddick acknowledged that calling out the tennis schedule for every injury sustained by players would be unfair, he also highlighted the importance of a restructured calendar for protecting players' health in the long run.

"It doesn't mean that every injury is because of the schedule, and we'd be absolute idiots not to say why can't we create a schedule for the players' health long term. I'm not saying that Holger did this definitely because of the schedule. I can say definitively this schedule is helping absolutely nobody's health," Roddick said on the 'Served' podcast.

Holger Rune likely to spend long spell on sidelines after sustaining Achilles injury in Stockholm

Holger Rune being assisted off the court at the 2025 Stockholm Open after suffering an Achilles injury (Source: Getty)

Not long after his heartbreaking mid-match retirement with injury at the Stockholm Open, Holger Rune provided an update. Through the update, the Dane suggested that he will be out of competitive tennis action for the foreseeable future due to the extent of the injury. The 22-year-old, who reached a career-high ranking of World No. 4, wrote in an Instagram post:

"It’s gonna be a while before I can step on court again. It’s tough. I had so much joy on court in Stockholm and it’s unbearable to think that I will not feel this energy for some time now. My Achilles is fully broken on the proximal part meaning I need (an) operation already next week and from here rehabilitation. Thank you for all your support now and always. Without you nothing would be the same. See you as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, Rune's mother Aneke claimed that according to doctors, her son will be unable to play for three to six months.

Edited by Sudipto Pati