A week after losing 6-3, 6-1 to Kyrian Jacquet in Tokyo, Holger Rune returns to a Masters 1000. The Dane entered the Shanghai main draw via a protected ranking, per the ATP Tour’s draw preview, and plays Germany’s Daniel Altmaier in the first round. Ben Shelton, the 2026 US Open finalist, is seeded to meet the winner.
Rune’s last ATP Tour appearance before Tokyo was 11 months ago. He ruptured his left Achilles tendon on 18 October 2025 in Stockholm during a match against Ugo Humbert, and spent the following months in rehabilitation.
From crutches to a Davis Cup weekend
The comeback has moved in stages. Rune first returned in September with Denmark’s Davis Cup tie, winning both his singles: 6-3, 6-3 against Iliyan Radulov and a three-set 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 fightback against Grigor Dimitrov, 335 days after his last competitive match.
Tokyo was the ATP Tour test, and it was unforgiving. Jacquet, a qualifier, won every first-serve point he played and did not face a break point, Tennis Majors reported.
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Rune has already mapped out the rest of his autumn.
“Next up will be Shanghai, Basel, Paris and Stockholm,” he told Tenniswatcher, adding that he would reassess with his team ahead of the Australian Open.
Zverev takes top seed after Sinner withdrawal
At the top of the draw, Carlos Alcaraz is the second seed and sits on the opposite side from Alexander Zverev, who moved up to the top seed after world No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew through injury. Novak Djokovic, a four-time Shanghai champion, is in Zverev’s half and could meet the German in the semifinals.
Zverev could still take over at No. 1 on 19 October if his week in Shanghai goes his way, according to Punto de Break, though his loss to Djokovic in Beijing has already narrowed the window.
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The Shanghai Masters runs through 18 October at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena. Main-draw play begins on 7 October.
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