“I’m sorry, I’ll get better, I’m working on it,” Andrei Rublev repeats after each of his outbursts. The intensity of his rage is unparalleled in tennis. The Russian player once again lost all self-control at the indoor tournament in Paris, as he had done several times before, thrashing the racket so furiously that he bled. The tennis world has had enough.
For many years, he belongs to the world’s elite ten, but in moments when everything is at stake, he regularly falls short of expectations. He does not do well in the Grand Slams, which has had an increasingly significant effect on his psyche in recent years.
Andrej Rublyov is popular among other tennis players off the court for his relaxed and non-conflicting nature, he has no enemies on the circuit. But when he gets lost in negative emotions in the courtyard, he turns into a bundle of nerves. And then he gets harsh criticism.
On Tuesday, he surprisingly lost in two tie-breaks at the Paris “thousand” with the Argentine Francisco Cerundol, and during the match he scared the fans with another of his “blackouts”.
He smashed his knee with the racket so hard that he lacerated it. The footage went viral on social media and sparked outrage.
“This is no longer a funny meme, but a source of serious concern. This is clearly a deeper problem and requires the help of a sports psychologist,” noted tennis journalist Jon Wertheim said, wondering if similar violent behavior should mean stricter tennis rules in the future punishment rather than a mere warning.
A fiery discussion broke out under his post, with several people pointing out how Rublyov’s behavior terrifies their children.
🎾 Tensions running high at the #RolexParisMasters as Andrey Rublev lets out his frustration in style!
👏🏻 Self-smashing his racket
🫣 Tossing his gear around
🤪 All this drama just in the first set against Francisco Cerundolo!The score so far: 7/6(8) to Cerundolo. Can Rublev… pic.twitter.com/SvVVsb5Jwy
— SportPulse24 (@SportPulse24) October 29, 2024
“His behavior has been a source of concern for some time and nothing has changed. I watched it with my niece, she is twelve and loves tennis. And this really scared her. I know that Andrej does not want to scare anyone, but it is necessary that he dealt with it,” wrote one of the users of the X social network.
This year, Paris is firmly connected with the rampage of the twenty-seven-year-old Russian.
He performed a similar feat at the Roland Garros Grand Slam. In the third round, in a duel with the Italian Matteo Arnaldi, he did not forgive himself for several angry scenes on the verge of a mental breakdown and destroyed his own hopes of success.
During the match, he brutally thrashed the racquet, destroyed several, kicked the bench and argued with the umpire, while with his hand on her back he tried to get her to recheck the traces of the ball, even though the umpire had already decided long ago.
Former British tennis player Tim Henman then described the Russian’s behavior as “self-destruction”.
“He really destroyed himself. You can get angry, but then you have to react and say, OK, I’ve let my frustration out, now I have to start playing tennis. It didn’t happen to him,” Henman said. Rublev’s “madness” then surprised even the famous stormtrooper John McEnroe.
“It’s totally out of his hands. I know something about fooling around on the court, but you have to know when it’s time to back off,” the American said.
Afterward, Rublev lamented: “I’m completely disappointed in myself and the way I behaved and the way I played. I don’t remember ever behaving worse.”
In the summer, in an interview with Tennis Majors, he confided that he has been struggling with depression for several years. “I suffered. And this season I felt that I was no longer able to control myself. I started to explode,” he said, praising the improvement.
“It happened to me more and more on the court, I can stay calm in normal life. But now for a few months I feel better and better,” added the world number seven player with optimism that turned out to be premature.
