Denmark is a small country with a lot of world-class athletes. Holger Rune has been world No. 4 – the highest ranking a Danish man has ever reached in tennis – but he shares the spotlight with other Danish sports stars. This page gives a short overview of three of them: footballer Christian Eriksen, tennis player Clara Tauson and cyclist Jonas Vingegaard. The details are up to date as of 25 October 2026.
Three Danish sports stars at a glance
| Name | Sport | Born | Biggest achievements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Eriksen | Football | 14 February 1992, Middelfart | Most caps for the Denmark men's team (151), Serie A champion with Inter, FA Cup winner with Manchester United |
| Clara Tauson | Tennis | 21 December 2002, Gentofte | Three WTA titles, world No. 12 (September 2025), 2019 Australian Open junior champion |
| Jonas Vingegaard | Cycling | 10 December 1996, Hillerslev | Tour de France 2022 and 2023, Vuelta a España 2025, Giro d'Italia 2026 |
Christian Eriksen – the footballer with the most caps
Christian Eriksen was born in Middelfart and moved as a teenager from OB to Ajax in Amsterdam. He won three Dutch titles there before joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2013. In London he became one of the most creative midfielders in the Premier League and played in the 2019 Champions League final. He won Serie A with Inter in 2021 and the FA Cup with Manchester United in 2024.
On 12 June 2021 he suffered a cardiac arrest during Denmark's Euro 2020 match against Finland at Parken. He was resuscitated on the pitch, was fitted with an ICD and returned to football with Brentford early in 2022 – one of the great comebacks in Danish sport. At Euro 2024 he passed Simon Kjær to become the most capped player in the history of the Denmark men's team. His record now stands at 151 caps and 46 goals.
From September 2025 he played for VfL Wolfsburg in Germany. In June 2026 he collapsed again during an international in Odense but left hospital the next day. In September 2026 the club and Eriksen ended his contract by mutual agreement. He has said nothing about his future as a player.
Clara Tauson – Holger Rune's childhood friend from the tennis court
Clara Tauson was born in Gentofte and grew up north of Copenhagen – the same area and the same age group as Holger Rune. The two have known each other since they were young: in 2014 they won the Danish U12 mixed doubles title together, in 2018 they shared the C WorldWide talent award, and in 2019 each won a junior Grand Slam – Tauson at the Australian Open and Rune at the French Open. In 2023 they played mixed doubles together for Denmark at the Hopman Cup. Rune and Tauson have also had the same coach, Lars Christensen – read more on the page about Holger Rune's coaching team.
Tauson is 1.82 m tall, right-handed and known for a heavy forehand. She has won three WTA titles: Lyon and Luxembourg in 2021 and Auckland in 2025. 2025 was her best season, with a final in Dubai, a semi-final in Montreal and the fourth round at Wimbledon, and in September 2025 she reached world No. 12. She has been named Danish Tennis Player of the Year four times.
2026 was a hard year: in May she said she has two herniated discs in her back, and in October she ended her season after a calf injury. As of 25 October 2026 she is No. 54 in the WTA rankings. Her coach is her boyfriend, Kasper Elsvad.
Jonas Vingegaard – from the fish factory to all three Grand Tours
Jonas Vingegaard was born in Hillerslev in the Thy region of north-west Jutland. As a young rider he worked mornings at a fish factory in Hanstholm and trained in the afternoons. In 2019 he joined the Dutch team now called Team Visma | Lease a Bike, and by 2021 he was already runner-up at the Tour de France.
In 2022 he won the Tour de France and also took the polka-dot jersey, and in 2023 he won the race again. He then finished second in 2024 and 2025, both times behind Tadej Pogačar. In 2025 he won the Vuelta a España, and in May 2026 he won the Giro d'Italia with five stage wins. That made him the first Dane to win all three Grand Tours – and only the eighth rider in history.
In 2026 he also won Paris-Nice and the Volta a Catalunya. He had to leave the 2026 Tour de France after a crash on stage 15. His contract with Team Visma | Lease a Bike runs until the end of 2028.
What do they have in common with Holger Rune?
All four have shown that Danish athletes can reach the very top of big international sports. They have also all fought back from serious setbacks: Eriksen after his cardiac arrest, Tauson with her back, Vingegaard after heavy crashes – and Holger Rune after rupturing his Achilles tendon in October 2025. You can read his own story in Holger Rune's biography, and how the comeback is going on the page about Holger Rune's ranking.
Danish sports stars: frequently asked questions
Are Clara Tauson and Holger Rune a couple?
No. They are childhood friends from the tennis scene north of Copenhagen and have played mixed doubles together, but they are not a couple. Clara Tauson's boyfriend is her coach, Kasper Elsvad.
Who has the most caps for Denmark?
Christian Eriksen has the most caps for the Denmark men's team. He passed Simon Kjær at Euro 2024 and has 151 caps.
How many times has Jonas Vingegaard won the Tour de France?
Twice – in 2022 and 2023. He has also won the Vuelta a España in 2025 and the Giro d'Italia in 2026.
Who is the highest-ranked Danish tennis player ever?
Among the men it is Holger Rune, who was world No. 4 in 2023. Among the women Caroline Wozniacki was world No. 1. Clara Tauson's best ranking is No. 12.