Hamburg tennis fans can now look forward to the up-and-coming Danish star Holger Rune! The 19-year-old winner of the ATP tournament in Munich just announced his participation in the Hamburg European Open (July 16-24, 2022). Rune already celebrated his “mini” Hamburg debut in 2019, when he reached the semifinals of the U21 Tennis Europe invitational tournament as part of the Rothenbaum Tournament Week. “I am very much looking forward to come back to Hamburg This time on the ATP Tour! The Hamburg European Open is a fantastic tournament in a beautiful location in Hamburg. I can’t wait!” says the Scandinavian.

In Munich two weeks ago, Holger Vitus Nødskov Rune (which is his full name) defeated, among others, Hamburg’s Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-2 on the way to his first ATP title. By the end of the tournament week, the likeable blond was awarded his very first car by the title sponsor as a special prize. He doesn’t have a driver’s license yet, so he enjoyed being chauffeured around center court as a passenger.

The former world junior number one from the Mouratoglou Academy, who also won the French Open junior title in 2019, turned professional in 2020 at the age of 16. Since then, he has made a steep climb up the world rankings – currently he is ranked 42nd. In the annual ranking of the best players under 21, he is third behind Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, who is the same age, and Jannik Sinner (Italy), who is a year and a half older. He is certainly one of the young players who is being talked about the most.

“For me, Holger is a player who has the potential to be a future superstar. I like him because he is a very passionate player, and because he is also very charismatic off the court,” says tournament director Sandra Reichel. “I’m delighted that we already discovered him here in 2019. Since then, Hamburg and our Rothenbaum tournament seem to hold a special place in his heart.”

Rune is the second player after Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina to announce his early commitment to the Hamburg European Open 2022. Tournament ambassador Andrea Petkovic and top ten player Danielle Collins from the USA have already confirmed their participation in the women’s competition of the combined event.

Tickets for the 116th edition of the clay-court classic are available in advance via the ticket hotline 01806-991175 or the online ticket shop (www.hamburg-open.com/tickets).