Holger Rune cut a distressed figure as he was assisted off court by the physio from his semi-final at the BNP Paribas Nordic Open in Stockholm on Saturday.
The Dane led Ugo Humbert 6-4, 2-2 when he felt a sharp pain in his left leg and was forced to retire after one hour, 23 minutes.
After pulling up, Rune instantly glanced his box with a disconcerted look and teared up while receiving treatment. However, he was unable to continue and was assisted off court.
Rune captured the Stockholm title in 2022 and appeared to be nearing a sixth consecutive Lexus ATP Head2Head win over Humbert. The Frenchman awaits Casper Ruud in Sunday’s final.
“It was not the way I wanted to win,” said Humbert. “I’m super disappointed for Holger, I hope he is going to be okay. I wish him a speedy recovery. It was a great match. He was playing a little bit better than me, but I’m really sorry for Holger.”
Watch Rune being assisted off court
Rune is 12th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin and aiming to make a late push to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time since 2023. Meanwhile, Humbert is into his 10th ATP Tour final, and sixth on indoor hard courts.
In the second semi-final, Ruud moved past Canadian Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4 to advance to his third final of the season after 80 minutes. The Norwegian defeated Sebastian Korda in three sets and backed that up with a clinical display against Shapovalov, winning 83 per cent of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Ruud is 11th in the Live Race on 2,660 points, trailing eighth-placed Lorenzo Musetti by 825 points. The 26-year-old, who is aiming to make his fourth appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, has earned more indoor wins (10) than any other player on Tour this season.
Earlier this year, he reached the title match indoors in Dallas, where he fell to Shapovalov. The World No. 12 leads the lefty 3-1 in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
