"Becoming more and more dangerous what he does to himself" - Fans react to Andrey Rublev's self-harming behavior at ATP Finals
Andrey Rublev hit himself repeatedly after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in his second group-stage match at the 2023 ATP Finals. The Russian’s self-harming behavior drew a flurry of reactions from tennis fans.
Fifth seed Rublev was beaten by the Spaniard 7-5, 6-2 on Wednesday, November 15. The Russian dropped serve from 40-15 to start the second set after Alcaraz broke him late in the first. When the Spaniard hit a backhand return winner to reach a break point, Rublev yelled in fury and broke his racquet.
The 26-year-old dropped serve again after overhitting a forehand, handing the match to the second seed. That's when he whacked his left knee several times with his racquet, causing it to bleed.
Andrey Rublev's violent behavior did not sit well with tennis fans, who took to Reddit to express their displeasure. One user was disappointed with the straightforward scoreline of the match and suggested that the Russian should seek help for his aggressive conduct.
"What a disappointing match, I expected much more of a fight. Ps. Rublev needs a mental coach or something because it is becoming more and more dangerous what he does to himself," the user wrote.
Another user said they no longer wished to watch Rublev play because of his self-destructive nature, despite the fact that he was a "nice guy" off the court.
"I'm honestly done watching a Rublev match. There is no fun watching a guy play when you know exactly when he is going to implode & self destruct. It's just awkward to watch. He seems like a nice guy off the court, but seriously needs mental help," they wrote.
Another suspected that the World No. 5 was 'super ill', leading to his decision to break his knee in frustration:
"I felt so f**king bad for Rublev, looked like he was super ill and then decided to break his knees on top of that."
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
Andrey Rublev: "If you don’t like to lose, doesn’t matter who is the opponent"
Andrey Rublev was visibly frustrated after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in his second group-stage match at the 2023 ATP Finals. The 26-year-old was asked about the difference between losing to close friends and losing to other players during a post-match press conference, to which he replied:
"If you don’t like to lose, doesn't matter who is the opponent. You feel disappointed, especially now when you understand that the season is over and that’s it basically."
Rublev further expressed his desire to up his game, particularly in the final stretch of the season. He said he felt let down when things didn't go his way.
"Yeah, you want to do better. You want to show -- not to show, but you want at least to try to do better result, to play some great matches in the end of the season. Of course, you feel disappointed when it's not happening," the Russian said.