Andrey Rublev recently spoke about his journey towards a better mental state, but his most recent US Open outburst left many wondering if he’s truly ‘out of it.’
Rublev has always been a very passionate player who lives his matches. If there was a clear opposite of a ‘poker face’, Rublev would have it because it’s clear how he feels during a tennis match.
He shows his feelings quite literally through his grimaces and behavior. When things go badly, he’s particularly demonstrative, often completely losing himself in his anger, sometimes even injuring himself.
He smashed his knee last year, drawing blood, and he did something similar this time around. He drew blood again because he hit his hand with his racquet in yet another outburst.
As unfortunate as these scenes are, the Russian is prone to them. He had a really bad outburst earlier this year that resulted in his default from the match, and it was clear he had to address it.
He sought help and was happy to announce that he was feeling much better lately, which was great to see. Unfortunately, outbursts are just something that is part of him, and his most recent one at the 2024 US Open, when he faced Grigor Dimitrov for a spot in the quarter-finals, once again drew blood, requiring a medical timeout.
As someone who battled similar demons during his tennis career, Nick Kyrgios, who works as a commentator during the tournament, expressed worries about the Russian, whom he likes as a player and person.
Kyrgios was commenting on the match and expressed concern because he’s seen this pattern before, and it doesn’t end well. He was quite open about his own story of self-harm.
“That’s when I get a bit worried. When you start hurting yourself and it hinders your performance. I much prefer when he hits his shoe, not his hand or his head.”
Another notable former player expressed worry about the outbursts: Martina Navratilova. She commented on the situation by explaining that this wasn’t very helpful.
It’s a mistake he keeps repeating, and she’s desperate for him to figure it out because the sky is the limit for him when it comes to his talent. It also hurts to see that Rublev is known as a genuinely lovely guy on Tour, and nobody has any problems with him.
“He beats himself and the negative energy just cannot be helpful. He just keeps making the same mistake over and over again. You are worried for him. Come on, just get it together.”
“You are only hurting himself, literally physically and emotionally. He needs to save his energy for good stuff, like hitting tennis balls. Not hitting his head.”
“He’s got the game to win a major, I believe that. He’s got the big serve, the big forehand and he just needs to improve his net game a little. The sky is the limit. The guy has got it all. He just needs to work on the mentality. He is such a lovely guy.”
The outburst came surprisingly early in the match, as it was only in the fifth game, when the Russian player was down 1-3. He ultimately managed to find some inspired tennis in the third and fourth sets of the match, but it still wasn’t enough to win as Grigor Dimitrov bested him 6-3, 7-6(3), 1-6, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the 2024 US Open.
