Andrey Rublev hasn't played at his best in recent weeks, and on top of that, a mysterious health issue has been bothering him.
The Russian player ended his Grand Slam part of the season in 2024 with a brutal five-set loss in the fourth round of the 2024 US Open to Grigor Dimitrov, who won the match 6-3, 7-6(3), 1-6, 3-6, 6-3.
In retrospect, it might have been a match that also ended both players' hopes for competing at the 2024 ATP Finals, even though they were in a good position to qualify during the US Open.
Dimitrov seemingly injured himself during that match, and he was forced to retire from his quarter-final match against Frances Tiafoe. Rublev has also been struggling with an issue since then.
After the US Open, Rublev surprisingly withdrew from the Hangzhou Open. While withdrawals are not rare in tennis, the Russian players almost never withdraws from tournaments, and his decision was very surprising.
It might not have signaled anything other than his need for rest, but as the following weeks showed, fans were rightfully worried about the withdrawal. During his stay in Beijing for the China Open, Rublev revealed that he underwent surgery after the US Open.
He was initially told that he wouldn't be able to compete until the Shanghai Masters. However, he made it to the tennis courts before that, competing at the China Open, where he reached the quarter-finals before losing to home player Yunchaokete Bu.
The 26-year-old Russian then made his way to Shanghai, but lost already in his first match to an inspired Jakub Mensik from the Czech Republic, 7-6(7), 4-6, 3-6.
During his stay in China, Rublev talked to BetBoom Tennis. During the interview, which was conducted in Russian and later translated, he spoke about his surgery again, but this time, he also revealed an unknown detail.
According to his words, Rublev avoided amputation only by a few hours, which is a shocking claim. It's not clear which part of his body would need to be amputated, but it's a worrying claim regardless.
"After the US Open I was preparing for China, and a couple of days before the flight I needed an operation, which, if not performed, could have led to amputation. I was lucky that it all became clear in the first three or four hours, because after five or six hours, amputation becomes necessary.
The good news is that Rublev was able to get back to action relatively quickly. Despite losing quite early in both of the tournaments that he played after the surgery, the initial prognosis was much worse, so there are still a lot of positives for him.
"In the end, everything was done in time, and it ended better than expected. Before the operation, the prognosis was not very pleasant: That I would have to lie in bed for a month, that I would not be able to do anything. I am glad that I was able to come back quickly."
Rublev's schedule for the remainder of the season is relatively simple. He will first compete at the Stockholm Open, then move to Switzerland for the Swiss Indoors in Basel, and then to France for the Paris Masters.
Should he earn enough points during these tournaments, Rublev will qualify for the 2024 ATP Finals in Turin and add that tournament to his calendar as well.
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