Andrey Rublev often has furious outbursts on the court, but his latest meltdown at the Paris Masters was hard to watch after he harmed himself during it.
Admittedly, there was more on the line for Rublev in his opening round in Paris than most other players. The 27-year-old is locked in a tight race to qualify for the year-end ATP Finals.
Rublev currently occupies the final qualifying spot for the ATP Finals in Turin, sitting in eighth. But his hopes were dented after being defeated by Francisco Cerundolo 6-7, 6-7 on Court 1.
That result and Tommy Paul losing on the same day meant Taylor Fritz became the fifth player to qualify for the ATP Finals. Paul's defeat also helped Rublev since it ended the American's chances of making it to the year-end tournament.
However, Rublev could finish the Paris Masters outside the Top 8 in the race for the ATP Finals. If he reaches the quarterfinal, Alex de Minaur will overtake the 16-time ATP title winner. De Minaur needs two more victories in the French capital to achieve that.
Grigor Dimitrov and Stefanos Tsitsipas are other players with a mathematical chance of leapfrogging Rublev in the race to Turin. Tsitsipas is already into the round of 16 after beating Roberto Carballes Baena and Alejandro Tabilo.
Rublev also went through a stressful ordeal after the US Open. The 10-time Grand Slam quarterfinalist revealed he could have had his testicle amputated, but thankfully, he avoided that fate.
Since that unexpected situation, his results have not been great by the No. 7's high standards. It is important to consider the background factors about the ATP Finals and almost losing a body part when judging his actions on the court.
But it is also true that Rublev's rage on the court has been a problem for him for many years. Despite saying he wants to improve his behavior, there have been no signs of those intentions coming to fruition.
However, the latest incident at the Paris Masters was bad even by Rublev's standards. This year's Madrid Open winner caused himself harm in ugly scenes on Court 1 at the final Masters 1000 tournament of 2024.
As seen in the video below, Rublev smashes his racket against his knee seven times. The tight match was locked at 6-7, 1-1, meaning he still had every chance of making a comeback at that stage.
Unfortunately, some of Rublev's worst meltdowns come when the score is close. After a replay of the incident was shown, the camera crew zoomed in on the No. 6 seed's knew, which had blood dripping from it.
Although players showing passion on the court is not a bad thing, incidents like this from Rublev go too far. They are damaging to himself and also set a bad example to the younger fans watching, in particular.
Rublev physically harming himself in this manner begs the question of whether he needs professional help. It could become dangerous for the 27-year-old if his outbursts on the court get even worse in the future.
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