Short answer: Holger Rune plays the Babolat Pure Aero 98, the same frame Carlos Alcaraz uses. He strings Babolat RPM Blast in the thicker 16 gauge, reported at around 53 lbs.
The frame he really plays
Rune's racquet is a customized Pure Aero 98, and this is one of the rare cases where the gap between tour frame and retail frame is genuinely small. Multiple gear specialists have looked at his grommets, beam shape, and string pattern and concluded he is playing the actual mold rather than a paint job over something else. Rune himself has said on record that he adds weight but that his frame is not far off the shelf model.
Reported strung specs put him around 332 grams with a swingweight near 335 and balance about 31.9 cm. Retail sits near 327 swingweight. That is a real difference, but it is a customization gap you could close with lead tape and a fitting, not a different racquet entirely.
He came up on the Babolat Pure Drive and moved to the 98 as his game matured. The reason is worth understanding if you are considering the same move: the Pure Drive gives you power, and once you generate enough of your own, that power starts costing you control. The 98 trades some of it back for a tighter pattern and a smaller head.
Published specs
- Head size: 98 sq in
- String pattern: 16x20
- Grip size: L4, which is 4 1/2
- Reported strung weight: around 332 g, swingweight near 335
String and tension
Babolat RPM Blast, the same string as Alcaraz, but Rune runs the thicker 16 gauge rather than the 17. That matters more than it sounds. The heavier gauge is less lively and holds up longer under a big swing, which suits a player who hits a flatter, faster ball and does not need the string bed adding launch.
Tension is reported at roughly 53 lbs. We will be straight with you: his tension is less well documented than most players on this list, and no source we trust has published it directly from his stringer. Treat 53 as a reasonable starting point rather than a confirmed number.
Rune and Alcaraz play the same racquet
Same frame, two very different games, and that is the useful part. Alcaraz hits with enormous spin and variety. Rune hits flatter and faster and lives on precision. The Pure Aero 98 serves both because a 16x20 pattern in a 98 head is fundamentally a control platform, and what each player does with it comes down to swing and string, not the stick.
If you are choosing between copying one or the other, the frame decision is the same. The string gauge is where you actually pick a side. Go 1.25 like Alcaraz if you want more bite and feel. Go 1.30 like Rune if you break strings or want a calmer bed.
What the setup link loads
No substitutions. The frame is the retail Pure Aero 98 he plays and the string is his exact string in his exact gauge.
One thing we will not hide: his grip size is 4 1/2 and we are out of it. The link loads 4 3/8 instead, which is the next size down and the closest we have. If you want 4 1/2 specifically, call or email the shop and we will tell you when it is back. Grip size should be sized to your hand anyway, so do not choose 4 1/2 just because Rune does.
Should you play this setup?
The string, yes, if you swing full and break strings. RPM Blast in 1.30 is a durable, sane co-poly and it is easy to live with.
The frame, only if you already bring pace and want control back. This is a 4.5-and-up racquet. It has a highish stock swingweight and a thin beam, and it does not reward a short or defensive swing. If you want the Aero character with more help from the racquet, the standard Pure Aero 100 is the better fit and we would rather sell you the right one.
And whatever you choose, do not string this frame tight. It is stiff, and a tight bed of dead poly in a stiff racquet is how arms get hurt.
Sources
Frame identification, reported specs, and string are corroborated across multiple gear specialists including Tennisnerd and Dad Racket. Tension is less firmly sourced than the rest and is given as an approximation. Pro setups change; treat this as current rather than fixed.