WTA No.32 says Holger Rune wrote ‘10 times’; Dane replies it wasn’t a date invite

Anna Kalinskaya has claimed that Holger Rune repeatedly messaged her on social media, saying the Danish star wrote to her “10 times” before giving up. The Russian world No. 32, who previously dated four-time major winner Jannik Sinner, branded Rune “hopeless” as she discussed players sliding into her DMs in a new interview.

Asked whether fellow professionals had tried to ask her out, Kalinskaya replied that messages were more common “before” and that one player was notably persistent. “For some, it’s just no chance at all, no need to write,” she said. “Someone wrote like 10 times and then gave up.” Pressed to identify the sender, she added: “I’ll say it now, but just… Holger Rune. He writes to everyone. He deserves all this. Thinks too much of himself; maybe he’s just that hopeless. But he’s not the only one!”

Rune responded publicly, suggesting there had been a misunderstanding. “Ha ha ha,” he wrote, arguing that cultural differences may have led Kalinskaya to interpret a comment on a story as an invitation to a date. “If I want to go on a date, I ask for a date. Don’t worry.”

Kalinskaya and Sinner were first linked in May 2024, frequently appearing in each other’s player boxes before their split roughly a year later. Since then, Sinner has soared through the men’s game, winning Wimbledon and reaching additional Grand Slam finals at Roland Garros and the US Open. Kalinskaya, meanwhile, has continued to climb the WTA rankings while keeping her private life guarded. She has joked that the newest “face” in her box is Bella, a dog who, she revealed, actually belongs to her boyfriend and recently co-starred in an advert shoot she fronted.

Her remarks arrive amid a febrile post-US Open news cycle in which the sport’s biggest names remain in the spotlight. Off-court storylines have multiplied alongside the packed hard-court schedule, with players’ social media habits often fuelling headlines as much as on-court results. Kalinskaya’s candid comments cut through the noise, offering a glimpse of the attention top players—especially women—can receive from within their own professional circles.

The exchange also underscores a perennial tension for athletes whose public and private lives now mix in real time online. What one person regards as a harmless comment can be perceived by another as unwanted persistence; what feels like banter to one can come across as boundary-testing to another. In that context, Rune’s swift public reply sought to draw a line under any suggestion of overt pursuit, while Kalinskaya’s blunt assessment reflected the weariness many public figures express about persistent messaging.

Kalinskaya’s frankness comes with the caveat that she did not present screenshots or further detail, choosing instead to speak generally about approaches she has received. Her tone suggested exasperation rather than animus, with the punchline that Rune was “not the only one”. For a tour long accustomed to rumour and innuendo, the directness of both claim and response ensured the story would ricochet across tennis social feeds.

Beyond the DM drama, Kalinskaya’s on-court trajectory remains the more meaningful measure of her year. A top-tier baseliner with clean ball-striking and improved resilience in long rallies, she has built momentum through 2025, while Sinner’s flourish has further entwined their names in headlines. Rune, one of the ATP’s most combustible talents, has likewise stayed central to the conversation, his blend of peak shot-making and emotional volatility making him a magnet for both acclaim and scrutiny.

Whether this particular flare-up ends here may depend on how much either player chooses to elaborate. For now, the episode reads as a snapshot of modern tennis celebrity: a passing remark in an interview, a fast social-media counter, and a day’s worth of discourse that will likely be overtaken as soon as the next ball is struck.