Holger Rune just learned that making money for charity can get you in trouble with your sponsors. The Danish tennis star tried selling his broken rackets for as much as $6,000 each, with all the money going to charity.
Turns out his racket sponsor Babolat wasn’t having it.
The whole thing started when fans spotted Rune’s online shop selling smashed rackets at pretty steep prices. One fan called him "detestable" for charging so much while claiming it was for charity.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holger Rune | 22 | 2,540 | 22 - 12 |
Rune fired back, asking what the critic had done for charity lately. The 22-year-old said he does what he can to help good causes.
But fan criticism was the least of his problems.
Sponsor Pushback
Babolat’s Tennis Business Leader Marion Cornu made it clear the company wasn’t happy about promoting broken equipment.
“It is not our intention to promote broken racquets. We are in talks with his agent. … We must be consistent with our values, so we are working on this issue with his representatives.”
The message was pretty clear. Sponsors pay big money to have their gear seen during matches. Having players draw attention to times when that same equipment gets destroyed? Not exactly the vibe they’re going for.
Rune’s team has since removed the other broken rackets from his online shop. Reports say he did manage to sell at least one, with the proceeds going to charity as promised.
Look, Rune clearly didn’t mean any harm here. The guy was just trying to make something positive out of rackets he couldn’t use anymore. All the money was going to charity.
Rough Year on Court
This racket drama comes during a pretty tough stretch for Rune. His latest broken racket came from a brutal Wimbledon first-round loss to Nicolas Jarry.
He won the first two sets. Then everything fell apart.
Rune blamed an injury for the collapse, telling reporters afterward that he’d "win the match nine times out of ten" without that physical issue. That’s about as honest as it gets after a shocking early exit.
A few years back, tennis fans thought they might see a new Big 3 emerge with Rune, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner.
Instead, Alcaraz and Sinner have completely separated themselves from the pack.
The Spanish and Italian stars have split the last six Grand Slams between them. Their recent French Open final was absolutely incredible – Alcaraz saved three championship points in the fourth set before winning in a deciding set tiebreak.
Catching Up
That kind of elite-level tennis shows exactly why Alcaraz and Sinner are in their own category right now. Some think only Novak Djokovic at his best can really challenge them.
Rune’s got serious work ahead if he wants to catch up to his peers.
Staying healthy will be crucial. If he can avoid injuries for a while and keep training hard, he’ll give himself the best shot at reaching that top level.
For now though, he’s probably learned his lesson about selling broken equipment. Even when it’s for a good cause, sponsors don’t always see it that way.
