Andrey Rublev reveals horror details about major health scare: "I signed papers saying they were allowed to amputate my ball"
Andrey Rublev has revealed new details about his recent health scare, where the Russian came very close to amputation during an emergency surgery procedure before making a full recovery. Rublev had to undergo the surgery after the end of the US Open, just before he kickstarted his Asian swing.
Speaking in an interview last month, the 26-year-old had shed light on the surgery he had undergone, stating that it was an issue that predominantly affected children. At the time, what exactly the operation was remained unknown.
"As I was told, this (i.e. the issue he had) usually happens to children. I needed surgery, which, if not done, could lead to amputation. It was lucky that in the first 3-4 hours it all turned out, because after 5-6 hours, amputation was mandatory," Rublev had said.
Now in action at the Stockholm Open, Andrey Rublev dished more details at his latest press conference, revealing that the body part he risked losing was his testicle. The Russian jokingly added that he got super lucky because just before going into surgery he signed papers permitting doctors to amputate his testicle to save his life if it comes to that.
"Now I feel perfect, everything went well, but I don't know how to call it the smart way, I can try the funny way -- I almost lost my ball. I was super lucky because they say you have only 5-6 hours if the blood stops from going there, and then it is amputation," Andrey Rublev said.
"I don't know why I said let's go to hospital to check, it was a weird feeling, so as soon as they check, they took me as emergency to surgery and they were able to do it between 3-4 hours. They were able to do everything good, and everything is great. The last thing before they make me sleep [for surgery], I signed the papers saying they were allowed to amputate my ball," he added.
Thankfully, as confirmed by Rublev himself, the surgery getting completed in just under five hours was enough to make sure that he did not face such a dire situation.
Andrey Rublev out in the quarterfinals at the Stockholm Open
At the Stockholm Open, Andrey Rublev faced a shocking exit, losing in the quarterfinals to 39-year-old Stan Wawrinka. The three-time Grand Slam champion took him down in straight sets, winning 7-6(5), 7-6(5).
Rublev has now faced three losses in his last four matches, going out in his opener at the Shanghai Masters following a quarterfinal exit at the China Open in his post-US Open campaign. Up next, he is likely to be in action at the Swiss Indoors in Basel next week, where he is the top seed as of now.