Anna Kalinskaya said in a televised interview that she ignored about 10 messages from Denmark’s Holger Rune, prompting a public reply from the men’s top-15 player who said her comments were taken out of context.
Kalinskaya, 26, made the remarks in an interview with the First&Red channel that was translated by Pro Football Network and had drawn about one million views by Tuesday. She said Rune was among "a couple" of fellow players who had sent advances she declined, adding, "He writes to everyone. He deserves all this. Thinks too much of himself." Kalinskaya also said, "Someone wrote like 10 times and then gave up. Ha ha ha," and added she prefers to ask directly for a date rather than interpret social-media comments as invitations.
Rune, 22 and listed at world No. 11, responded on social media to a clip of the interview, writing that the remarks had been taken out of context. In his reply he suggested cultural differences could explain differing interpretations of social-media interactions and posted, "If I want to go on a date, I ask for a date. Don’t worry." The exchange unfolded publicly on Tuesday as the interview circulated online.
The episode echoes recent on-court and off-court interactions among players. Kalinskaya, who previously dated Italy’s Jannik Sinner, confirmed their split earlier this year. Last month, Russia’s Veronika Kudermetova said she had rebuffed a text from Rune, telling a U.K. outlet she pointed out she was married; she said Rune replied, "Oh, sorry," and that he had since stopped saying hello. Kudermetova has been married to her coach, Sergey Demekhine, since 2017.
Kalinskaya’s comments came amid broader social-media attention on personal interactions within the tennis tour. The players involved have made brief public statements on social platforms but have not issued extended public comments beyond the interview and Rune’s immediate reply. Tournament organizers and player representatives did not provide comment in the immediate aftermath of the interview.
The social-media exchange highlights the increasingly public nature of personal interactions between high-profile athletes. Kalinskaya’s interview focused on how she handles off-court approaches now that she is older, while Rune’s reply underscored his view that the remarks were not fairly represented. Neither player expanded further on the record Tuesday, and there were no reports of disciplinary action or formal complaints related to the messages discussed.