The episode dates back to July 2025, when Kudermetova took part in a podcast hosted by her former doubles partner, Elena Vesnina, where Kudermetova shared an anecdote involving Rune that quickly gathered pace on social media.
In the clip, she described how Rune had recently messaged her, only for Kudermetova to remind him of their age difference and the fact that she is married. “Rune recently texted me. I told him, ‘Boy, I’m probably too old for you. If you looked at my Instagram, you’d see I have a husband.’ He replied, ‘Oh, sorry.’ After that, he stopped saying hi to me,” she said.
Kudermetova later explained that the story was never meant to be published. In a recent interview with Russian outlet TI-Sport, she said the entire situation had left her feeling embarrassed. “Actually, I was really upset for a long time after that interview because it came out so ugly and wrong,” she said.
The Russian tennis star clarified that the exchange took place while the cameras were still being set up and was intended to remain private. “It was just a personal conversation between Lena Vesnina and me while we were setting up the cameras before the interview, and I didn’t think it would be included in the final episode.”
After the interview, Kudermetova had explicitly requested that the segment was removed. “So, the story about Rune was off-camera. I even asked them not to include that fragment. But the podcast ended up airing, and it was quite provocative.”
What hurt most, she added, was how quickly it spiraled once it became public. “The problem was that it became public knowledge, all the media covered it, and it turned into an ugly situation.”
She admitted the fallout even affected her interactions on tour. “Later, when I saw Rune at tournaments, I felt so ashamed in front of him. I wanted to go up to him and apologize.”
