Holger Rune, the 22-year-old Danish sensation currently ranked No. 11 in the ATP, has been turning heads on the court at the Laver Cup in San Francisco, where Team Europe battles for a sixth straight title. But off the court, the former World No. 4’s romantic escapades have stolen the spotlight, painting a picture of a young star navigating fame, heartbreak, and headline-making mishaps. From a brief romance blamed for his on-court slumps to leaked DMs with married pros and a fiery denial of “desperate” advances toward Jannik Sinner’s ex-girlfriend, Rune’s love life is as volatile as his explosive forehand. As he gears up for a potential singles clash against Tommy Paul on Day 3, here’s the full scoop on the drama that’s got tennis Twitter in a frenzy.
The ‘Distracting’ Ex: Caroline Schibe and the Mid-2023 Slump
Rune’s most public relationship to date was with Monaco-based real estate agent and influencer Caroline Schibe, a stunning brunette whose social media presence boasts over 50,000 followers. The pair went Instagram-official in mid-2023, shortly after Rune’s breakout run to the ATP Finals semifinals. Photos of them cozied up in Monaco—Schibe captioning one “Love you @holgerrune”—sparked joy among fans but also speculation when Rune hit a rough patch, exiting early at Wimbledon and the US Open that year.
Tabloids quickly dubbed Schibe the “distraction” behind his woes, with Danish media questioning if the romance was pulling focus from his training. Rune shut it down swiftly in a presser after his Cincinnati Open loss: “Caroline has nothing to do with my results. Tennis is my life—always has been.” His mother and manager, Aneke Rune, backed him up in an interview with Danish outlet BT, declaring with “100% certainty” that Schibe wasn’t the culprit: “He clearly still has tennis as his priority. That’s what puts him in a good mood.”
The relationship fizzled out by late 2023, with no messy public breakup—just quiet unfollows and a return to Rune’s laser-focused singles life. Schibe has since kept a low profile, posting about her real estate gigs and travel, while Rune channeled the split into a strong 2024, including a Shanghai Masters title. Fans still ship the exes occasionally, but Rune’s post-Schibe era has been anything but tame.
Leaked Texts to a Married Tennis Ace: The Veronika Kudermetova Fiasco
Fast-forward to July 2025: Rune found himself in hot water after Russian WTA star Veronika Kudermetova, a 28-year-old doubles specialist and married mother, spilled the beans on his ill-advised outreach. During an appearance on the First&Red podcast, Kudermetova was asked about ATP players hitting on her. She laughed off the notion but dropped a bombshell: “Tennis players, more often before… For some, it’s just no chance at all, no need to write. Someone wrote like 10 times and then gave up.” Pressed for a name, she hesitated before confessing: “I’ll say it now, but just… Holger Rune.”
Kudermetova, wed to her coach Sergei Demekhine since 2017 (they share a young son), revealed Rune had slid into her DMs repeatedly despite knowing her status—texts that reportedly started innocently but veered flirty. “He didn’t do his homework,” she quipped, emphasizing no hard feelings but a firm rebuff. The “leaked” details (though no screenshots surfaced) went viral, with X users roasting Rune as “thirsty” and memes flooding timelines. Rune stayed mum at the time, but the story resurfaced in September amid his next scandal, amplifying the narrative of a serial DM-er.
New Date Denial: The Explosive Clash with Anna Kalinskaya
The drama peaked on September 9, 2025, when Anna Kalinskaya—Jannik Sinner’s ex-girlfriend and World No. 32—echoed Kudermetova’s tale on the same podcast. The 26-year-old Russian, whose high-profile split from Sinner (after a May 2025 breakup) made headlines, was quizzed on tour romances. “Someone wrote like 10 times and then gave up,” she said, naming Rune without hesitation: “Holger Rune. He writes to everyone. He deserves all this. Thinks too much of himself… Maybe he’s just that hopeless.”
Kalinskaya painted Rune as “desperate,” claiming his messages were overt date requests that she ignored until he backed off. The revelation, just weeks after her Sinner split, ignited a firestorm—fans dubbed it a “revenge glow-up,” while others defended Rune as a bold 22-year-old. Rune fired back on X the same day, denying the narrative in a now-deleted thread: “If I want to go on a date, I ask for a date. Don’t worry… We might have cultural differences that make Anna read a comment on a story as an invitation.” He insisted it was a casual IG story reply, not 10 DMs, and accused her of misconstruing intent.
Kalinskaya hasn’t responded publicly, but insiders say the “leaked” context (via podcast) has strained tour dynamics—especially with Sinner (now dating a model) and Rune set for potential clashes in Asia. Rune’s camp calls it “tabloid fodder,” but the timing, amid his Laver Cup prep, hasn’t helped his focus.
Rune’s Response and the Bigger Picture
Rune addressed the whirlwind in a pre-Laver Cup interview, brushing it off: “People talk. I focus on the ball.” His on-court form backs it up—a quarterfinal run at the US Open and a doubles win with Casper Ruud on Day 1. Yet, the episodes highlight the double-edged sword of young fame: What starts as harmless flirting becomes fodder for podcasts and headlines. As one X user quipped, “Holger’s serve is fire, but his DM game? Needs work.”
With no confirmed new romance (despite rumors of a low-key link-up with a Danish model), Rune seems content flying solo—for now. As the Laver Cup intensifies, expect the drama to simmer, but in tennis’s pressure cooker, love (or its pursuits) always finds a way to the net.
