Holger Rune’s mother Aneke recently shared an emotional update from Doha amid the USA and Israel’s war with Iran, which is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon as bombardments continue across the Middle East and the Gulf countries. According to Aneke, she has reached out to Danish authorities for help amid her son’s rehabilitation in Doha, Qatar.
Rune, accompanied by mother Aneke, headed to Qatar’s capital in February for continuing his rehabilitation at Aspetar, a renowned private hospital in the city. Everything was going smoothly for the former World No. 4 Dane until the USA and Israel began military operations in Iran. Subsequently, Iran retaliated by targeting both Israel as well as American assets spanning the Middle East and the Gulf. It’s now been more than five days since the violence began.
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Recently, Holger Rune‘s mother Aneke reached out to Ekstra Bladet and wrote about their ongoing ordeal in Doha and making contact with the Danish authorities for assistance.
“I’ve been working all day at the computer after we were stopped on the tennis court this morning by massive bombing. I’ve sent them an email now and heard what they came up with after the press conference today. Is there a plan? It’s been a few days since it’s been so violent here,” Aneke wrote via text message.
She also wrote about her son’s rehabilitation and how it had to be moved from Aspetar to the hotel they are staying in because of fallen missile debris near the hospital. Aneke continued:
“Holger continued his rehab at the hotel, because we didn’t dare go out to Aspetar as there had been fallen missile debris close by. We are lucky that they come here and work with Holger when we don’t dare go out. You get a little used to it. We had a feeling that it had calmed down a bit, and we continued our daily lives and hoped that the airport would open soon. Now we are back to square one again.”
Holger Rune’s mother hints at ‘possible exit’ from Doha despite security companies’ warnings
Adding to her text message to Ekstra Bladet, Holger Rune’s mother Aneke touched on the confusion they are facing amid their Doha stay as to what they should do going forward from a safety standpoint.
“And then the considerations start again, whether it could get worse here, whether we should head towards neighboring countries and try to get out, or whether it is riskier than waiting for the airport to open. There are a few attacks all over the Middle East, so what is the safest thing to do?,” Aneke added.
She also suggested that she is considering leaving Doha despite the circumstances as well as the precautionary advice given to her and son Holger Rune by security companies.
“I’m used to arranging travel, so I have a possible exit in mind . So it’s mostly about what’s safest to do. The security companies we’ve consulted say stay. But it’s still hard to stay because you never know when there’s a new attack, and how violent it is. And how close. So it kind of gets to you,” Aneke concluded.
Holger Rune has been out of action since he sustained a devastating Achilles injury at last year’s Stockholm Open, the very same injury for which he is undergoing rehabilitation work. Due to his prolonged ATP Tour-level absence, the 22-year-old’s ranking has dropped significantly, as he finds himself ranked World No. 18 currently.
Edited by Sudipto Pati