"I wouldn’t have done it if I could hit on the ground, but we aren't allowed": Andrey Rublev blames Wimbledon for self-harming racket smash in 1R loss
Andrey Rublev has laid the blame for his self-inflicted injury during his angry outburst at Wimbledon on the All England's strict rules about not damaging the grass courts. The Russian's frustrations boiled over in alarming fashion during his opening match at the grasscourt Major, resulting in him bloodying his own knee.
Rublev squared off against Francisco Comesana in his tournament opener at SW19. With Comesana competing in only his second match on grass, the sixth seed was expected to breeze through the encounter. However, the Argentine delivered a commanding performance to upset the World No. 6, claiming a 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(5) victory.
During the third set, Andrey Rublev's anger issues resurfaced when he found himself trailing by two breaks, as the Russian drew blood while repeatedly smashing his racket on his knee.
Although the 26-year-old had expressed immense "disappointment" in himself after a similar outburst during his third-round loss at the French Open, it wasn't enough to dissuade a reappearance of such behavior.
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Andrey Rublev explained that Wimbledon's strict rules against damaging the court left him with no choice but to smash his racket on himself to release his frustration.
The Russian also expressed his determination to focus on self-improvement while acknowledging that it is a gradual process that will take time.
"I wouldn’t have done it if I could hit the racket on the ground, but we are not allowed to hit the grass in any way . I don’t know why I did that at that moment, I couldn’t stand it anymore, I needed to let my emotions out," he said.
"Luckily, everything is fine now, once again I had a bit of luck. Now I want to focus on improving myself, but I know that this is a process and it takes time," he added.
Andrey Rublev after Wimbledon 1 exit: "The priority right now is to be able to stay positive throughout the match"
During the same press conference, Andrey Rublev expressed regret over his missed opportunities in his first-round clash against Francisco Comesama but gave the Argentine due credit for his well-deserved win.
"There is not much I can say in terms of having many opportunities, many opportunities, but I was not able to. My opponent was playing very well, with a 10-point mentality, so that is why he deserves to win […] That is all," he said.
The Russian also admitted that he needed to improve at handling his emotions and maintaining a positive attitude during matches, acknowledging that his angry outbursts were counterproductive.
"It’s the main thing I need to improve, of course. Even though I didn’t perform as badly today as I did in Paris, I know I could have done a lot better. This is not the way, I know that, so the priority right now is to be able to stay positive throughout the match," Andrey Rublev said.
"I need to win some matches, get a bit of rhythm, but it’s not easy. Since I lost in Paris, I’ve barely played in these weeks, just one match in Halle. When that rhythm is broken it’s never easy, you need a couple of wins to get your confidence back, I guess that’s what I need now," he added.
Following his win over Andrey Rublev in the opening round of the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, Francisco Comesana will continue his campaign against Adam Walton in the second round.