Andrey Rublev's headspace is not something that dictates his matches, but when it does, the Russian explodes with fury.
On one such occasion this past week at the Vienna Open, Rublev's emotions got the better of him, and let out his frustration by hitting a racket on his left knee, which left him bleeding and tennis fans were appalled by that incident.
Rublev was agitated at throwing a huge lead in the first set of his semifinal match against Jannik Sinner. Having built a 5-2 lead, Rublev was pegged back by the Italian's smart ball striking, who recovered the break back in the ninth game. Sinner would complete the turnaround to win the set 7-5.
The Russian could not forgive himself for literally throwing away the first set against the run of play and in a position of superiority. He skinned his knee with a racket smash. His behavior drew the ire of tennis fans on social media who felt that Rublev went too far with his actions.
"I rather Andrey Rublev smash racquets, but please for the love of god don’t hit your knees and make them bleed. So scary and torturous to watch him do it, " one fan commented. Another was less than pleased, saying, "Why does no one talk about Rublev’s behavior every time he loses either a point, game or anything basically, it’s really disturbing."
It wasn't long ago when Rublev lashed out at a photographer in the Shanghai final whom he felt distracted him during a point. He may have justified reasons during that incident, but not this one in Vienna. "Not sure if he got a warning but he should! This behavior is so disturbing, " another fan wrote.
The prospect of Rublev potentially needing the help of a psychologist was brought on the comments section, with one writing, "Yes agree. Rublev but surely needs a psychology coach to deal with his negative emotions on court."
Rublev ended up losing the match in straight sets to the eventual champion Sinner despite a momentary fightback in the second set. Nevertheless, the 26-year-old achieved his primary objective during the week, which was to qualify for the ATP Finals for the fourth time.
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