By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Photo credit: Francois Nels/Getty
Wimbledon is renowned for its all-white rule.
Leave it to Andrey Rublev to turn the place black and blue.
A raging Rublev snapped—not exactly a newsflash revelation given his past major meltdowns—and repeatedly slammed his Head racquet off his right knee during his Wimbledon opening-round loss to Argentinean Francisco Comesana.
Talk about getting hammered: Rublev slammed his stick off his knee seven times, by our count, during the tantrum.
Afterward, Rublev offered a simple explanation for beating the crap out of his knee rather than resorting to his customary play of smashing his racquet to smithereens off the court: It’s too costly to damage the prestigious SW19 lawn.
“I would not do it if I was able to hit the racquet on the floor,” Rublev told the media at Wimbledon. “Because we’re not allowed to hit them with the grass.
“I don’t know why in that moment, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to let emotions out. But thanks, everything is fine. Again, I was a bit lucky.”
Off the court, Rublev is one of the most gentle, polite, even-tempered souls on the ATP Tour.
Put him in the pressure cooker of Grand Slam competition, turn up the temperature and typically it’s only a matter of top before Rublev blows his lid.
The talented Rublev has yet to surpass a Grand Slam quarterfinal in 27 major appearances.
The sixth-seeded Russian has beat himself up in the past.
In fact, rewind to Roland Garros last month and recall Rublev repeatedly smashed his racquet against his leg, slammed his stick off the red clay in frustration and looked like a man trapped in a horror movie of his own making.
World No. 35 Matteo Arnaldi rolled Rublev 7-6(8), 6-2, 6-4 to reach the Roland Garros fourth round for the first time and Rublev lost it again that day.
