Holger Rune’s Mom Fires Back at ATP Critics: When Tennis Parents Get Real About Player Safety

Aneke didn’t pull any punches when she spoke to Danish publication BT. She straight-up accused the ATP of using “old-fashioned punishment methods” and creating a system where players are basically forced to compete when they’re running on fumes.

“Now Holger is the latest victim in the line of injured players,” she said. “With an injury that most often comes due to fatigue. It is unacceptable that you do not take the players’ well-being into account to a greater extent – but just put more and more pressure on them.”

And you know what? She’s not wrong. When was the last time you heard a tennis parent be this brutally honest about the tour’s problems? Usually, they stick to the diplomatic nonsense about “learning experiences” and “building character.”

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Here’s where Aneke really gets into the nitty-gritty of why the current system is completely bonkers. Top-30 players like Rune are mandated to play:

• All Masters 1000 tournaments (except Monte Carlo)
• All four Grand Slams
• The ATP Finals
• At least four ATP 500 tournaments
• At least one tournament after the US Open

Miss any of these mandatory events? Kiss goodbye to 25% of your annual bonus pool. That’s not chump change we’re talking about—for someone at Rune’s level, that could be hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“These are old-fashioned punishment methods, and they have no place in 2025,” Aneke continued. “There are unreasonable penalties for a cancellation; you should instead focus on increasing the quality of the game by having fresh and rested players on the court.”

Enter Andy Murray’s Ex-Coach with the Reality Check

Now, this is where things get spicy. Mark Petchey, who used to coach Andy Murray, decided to hop on social media and basically tell everyone to stop whining. His take? Players are “multi-millionaires” who should quit moaning about their schedules.

“Players/team members firebombing their own tour publicly is a bad, if not suicidal, commercial strategy,” Petchey wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “People that love tennis will watch tennis. People who don’t love tennis won’t watch a sport where multi-millionaires moan.”

Ouch. That’s the kind of dismissive attitude that probably makes tennis parents want to throw rackets at people.

But Petchey didn’t stop there. He used Jannik Sinner as his poster boy for why the system actually works: “Sinner missed 3 months of the tour. 4 Masters events and is 2 in the race. You have a choice how much you want to play in reality. You just lose a share in the bonus pools. You aren’t forced to do anything when you look at it like that.”

The Problem with the “Choice” Argument

Here’s where Petchey’s logic falls apart like a house of cards. Sure, technically players can skip tournaments. But when skipping means losing a quarter of your bonus money—money that’s supposedly based on “profit-sharing”—how much of a choice is that really?

It’s like telling someone they can choose not to show up to work, they’ll just lose their salary. Technically true, but practically ridiculous.

And let’s be real about the Sinner example. The guy is number two in the world and has been playing lights-out tennis. He can afford to skip events because he’s been winning everything else. But what about players like Rune, who are trying to establish themselves in the top 10? They don’t have the luxury of cherry-picking their schedule.

The Broader Issue with Tennis Scheduling

This whole controversy highlights something that’s been bubbling under the surface for years. The tennis calendar is absolutely brutal. We’re talking about 11 months of competition, with players expected to be in peak physical condition for tournaments across multiple continents, dealing with different time zones, surfaces, and weather conditions.

Other sports have figured this out. NBA players get a proper off-season. NFL players have defined seasons with clear breaks. Even golf, which has a similar individual format to tennis, doesn’t expect players to compete year-round at the same intensity level.

But tennis? Nope. Play or pay the financial penalty. It’s like the tour is stuck in some 1980s mentality where showing up injured was considered noble rather than stupid.

What Aneke Gets Right About Player Welfare

When Aneke talks about “fresh and rested players,” she’s hitting on something the ATP seems to have forgotten. Nobody wants to watch tennis players who are barely able to move around the court. We want to see athletes at their peak, producing the kind of highlight-reel tennis that makes the sport worth watching.

Instead, we get a conveyor belt of injuries, withdrawals, and players who look like they’d rather be anywhere else. That’s not good for anyone—not the players, not the fans, and certainly not the sport’s long-term health.

The irony is that the ATP’s obsession with mandatory tournaments is probably hurting the very thing they’re trying to protect: the quality of the product. Would you rather watch Rune play three tournaments at 100% or six tournaments at 70%?

The Surgery Update and Road Ahead

Meanwhile, Rune himself has been keeping fans updated on his recovery. After his surgery on Tuesday, he posted an Instagram update showing him giving a thumbs-up from his hospital bed, captioning it: “Hi everyone. Surgery went really well today. Thank you for all your incredible messages and support. I will keep you updated on my recovery. But now rest and heal.”

The reality is harsh: he’s looking at 3-6 months before he can even think about stepping back on a tennis court. That’s a significant chunk of career time for someone who’s only 22 and trying to make his mark in the sport.

Why This Matters Beyond Rune

This isn’t just about one player or one overprotective tennis mom. Aneke’s complaints echo what we’ve been hearing from multiple players recently. Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Iga Swiatek, and Casper Ruud have all voiced similar concerns about the tour’s scheduling.

When that many top players are saying the same thing, maybe it’s time to listen instead of dismissing them as complainers.

The tennis establishment needs to wake up and realize that protecting player welfare isn’t just about being nice—it’s about protecting their investment. These players are the product. Running them into the ground doesn’t help anyone in the long run.

Maybe Aneke Rune is onto something when she suggests the ATP focus on “increasing the quality of the game by having fresh and rested players on the court” instead of clinging to “old-fashioned punishment methods.”

Because honestly, watching players break down from exhaustion and overuse injuries isn’t the kind of drama tennis needs more of.