Andrey Rublev was supposed to play at the 2024 Hangzhou Open, but the Russian has withdrawn from the event. Luckily, it doesn't seem to be related to any kind of physical problem or injury.
Rublev is generally a player who plays a lot of tennis, and he doesn’t often withdraw from events. He's been quite fortunate to be a healthy tennis player, so he isn't the one to often pull out of events.
If he can play tennis, he will play tennis, and the best proof of that was this year's Madrid Open. He played at that event despite battling tonsillitis, and he didn't just play—he actually won the ATP Masters 1000 event, delivering some impressive wins, including one over Carlos Alcaraz.
It wasn't a minor issue either, as he had to spend time in the hospital after that run and felt the after-effects for a couple of weeks after that. That’s why many people were surprised when the news of him withdrawing from the Hangzhou Open broke.
He’s just not the type of player who will withdraw from an event a few days before he’s supposed to take the court. But that’s what happened, as the Russian dropped out of the Hangzhou Open.
It's an inaugural tournament event, as it has never been held before. It was supposed to be a good draw for a debut event, with players like Rublev, Matteo Berrettini, and Sebastian Korda set to play.
Rublev is now out of the draw, and Matteo Berrettini and Sebastian Korda also withdrew from the tournament earlier this week. Korda has been dealing with an injury, while Berrettini simply didn’t want to rush into playing after representing Italy in the Davis Cup this week.
For Rublev, the exact reason for his withdrawal doesn't seem to be clear. He’s made some troubling admissions recently about depression, so fans are hoping that it's not related to that.
It doesn’t seem like it because Rublev was recently spotted practicing on the tennis court, so he clearly doesn't lack motivation. It’s also clearly not an injury, as he's been practicing at high intensity, so it might just be him making a scheduling decision after taking some time off following the US Open.
The finish of this year will be quite pivotal for Rublev, as he's within striking distance of dropping out of the Top 10. He’s only 600 points ahead of a group of several players who have all been playing at a solid level lately.
It's not impossible for him to lose that ranking if he doesn't finish the season well. He’s also only seventh in the 2024 ATP Race to the ATP Finals, so his participation at the Finals isn't certain, either, and missing that would be a big disappointment for Rublev.
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