Tennis star claps back after Jannik Sinner’s ex-girlfriend claims he slid into her DMs 10 times
Holger Rune has shut down claims from Anna Kalinskaya that he messaged her 10 times asking for a date.
WTA star Kalinskaya was previously part of tennis' biggest power couple, having been in a relationship with men's world No.2 Jannik Sinner until earlier this year.
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The Russian began dating Sinner in May 2024, although their romance was ultimately short-lived.
Within a year the couple split up, as the Italian star confirmed he was single in a press conference at the Italian Open in May.
Since then, Sinner has won Wimbledon, as well as finishing as runner-up at the French Open and in Sunday's US Open final - losing to Carlos Alcaraz both times.
Meanwhile Kalinskaya most recently reached the third round in New York, where she was beaten by former champion Iga Swiatek.
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"No chance!"
And it seems Sinner isn't the only player on the ATP Tour to have shown an interest in Kalinskaya, as she revealed Danish star Rune has also been one of her admirers.
So much so, that the 26-year-old claimed the men's world No.9 sent her 10 messages on social media, without any success.
In an appearance on the First&Red podcast, Kalinskaya was asked if she'd received any advances from other male players on the circuit.
She was quick to drop Rune in it, before adding that she hadn't replied to his advances.
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Kalinskaya responded: "Now I'm older, I don't know, for some there's no chance! No need to write.
"Someone wrote like 10 times and then gave up. I'll say who it is now - Holger Rune. He writes to everyone.
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"He deserves all this - he thinks too much of himself.
"Maybe he’s just desperate, but he's not the only one [to have messaged me]."
How did Rune respond?
It didn't take long for Rune to respond, as he claimed on social media that Kalinskaya had misunderstood his messages.
The 22-year-old wrote on X: "Ha ha ha.
"We might have cultural differences that make Anna read 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."
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While nothing may have come of Rune's messages to Kalinskaya, there is one other male star with whom she does share a past.
Kalinskaya was previously in a relationship with Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios in 2020.
They were often seen supporting each other at matches and even attended an NBA game together, before splitting up in the same year.
While both Sinner and Kyrgios have both contested Grand Slam finals, Kalinskaya is yet to reach the same stage at a major.
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Her best career performance was reaching the quarterfinals at the 2024 Australian Open.
On top of this, she has won three doubles titles on the WTA Tour and one singles title on the WTA Challenger Tour.
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