SHANGHAI — Holger Rune will fall to his lowest ATP ranking in seven years after suffering a first-round defeat at the Shanghai Masters, losing 1-6, 7-6(5), 6-4 to Germany's Daniel Altmaier. The former world No.4, who entered the tournament at world No.195, is set to drop outside the top 1200 when the rankings update after Shanghai.
Rune emphatically claimed the opening set 6-1 but could not sustain the momentum as Altmaier fought back to take the second on a tie-break 7-6(5) before closing out the decider 6-4. Despite the disappointment, the 23-year-old struck a positive tone afterwards, writing on X: “Won 53% of the points, but not the one that mattered the most…and Altmaier played well. A lot was way better in this match than in my last , so definitely on the right track. I keep working. Step by step. See you soon on court again.”
The dramatic slide is triggered by the expiry of the 100 points Rune earned for reaching the semi-finals at the Stockholm Open last year. This week marks 12 months since that run, which ended when he ruptured his Achilles and began a near year-long absence. When those points drop off after Shanghai, he will record his lowest standing since 2019, when he was 16 and yet to play an ATP Tour match. He retains a protected ranking and has no further points to defend until next year's Shanghai Masters.
Rune ruptured his Achilles at Stockholm last year and missed all four Grand Slams this year as a result. He made his competitive return at the Davis Cup, helping Denmark beat Bulgaria with victories over Grigor Dimitrov and Iliyan Radulov, but has yet to register a win on the ATP Tour since his comeback, losing in the first round of the Japan Open before his exit in Shanghai.
There remain further opportunities to return to winning ways this season. Rune has entered the Swiss Indoors in Basel, the Paris Masters — where he is a former champion — and the Stockholm Open.