Tennis is no stranger to drama — on the court and off it. But this week, the spotlight isn’t on aces, tiebreaks, or titles. Instead, it’s on Anna Kalinskaya, Nick Kyrgios’ former girlfriend, who set the internet on fire after calling out Danish star Holger Rune for sliding into her DMs.
In a candid interview with the First&Red channel, the 26-year-old Russian didn’t mince her words. Ranked No. 32 in the world, Kalinskaya revealed that Rune had messaged her “multiple times” before finally giving up.
“Someone wrote like 10 times and then gave up,” she laughed. “I’ll say it now, Holger Rune. He writes to everyone. He thinks too much of himself.”
That one statement was enough to ignite the tennis world. Fans flocked to X (formerly Twitter), where clips of her remarks racked up thousands of views.
Rune, of course, didn’t stay silent. The 22-year-old fired back with what he framed as a cultural misunderstanding.
“Ha ha ha. We might have cultural differences that make Anna read a comment on a story as an invitation to a date,” Rune wrote, adding a cheeky wink emoji. “If I want to go on a date, I ask for a date. Don’t worry.”
But this isn’t the first time Rune’s name has popped up in DM gossip. Just last month, Veronika Kudermetova, another Russian pro, said Rune sent her a message too. Her savage reply? “Boy, I’m probably too old for you. If you looked at my Instagram, you’d see I have a husband.” Ouch.
Kalinskaya, meanwhile, has her own star-studded dating history. She dated Kyrgios back in 2020 — a relationship that ended with her posting a cryptic message: “You’re not a bad boy, you are simply a bad person.” Since then, she was linked to Jannik Sinner, the current world No. 2, before the pair split earlier this year.
The internet, naturally, can’t get enough of this mix of romance, rejection, and tennis royalty. Fans are now divided: is Rune a shameless flirt, or just a victim of online overreaction? And is Kalinskaya spilling the tea… or serving shade?
One thing’s for sure: tennis’ off-court stories are as gripping as the matches themselves.
Stay tuned — because if history tells us anything, this won’t be the last DM-driven scandal we hear from the sport’s rising stars.
