via Reuters
Tennis – ATP 500 – Dubai Tennis Championships – Dubai Duty Free Tennis Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates – March 1, 2024 Russia’s Andrey Rublev reacts after losing his semi final match against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik REUTERS/Amr Alfiky
via Reuters
Tennis – ATP 500 – Dubai Tennis Championships – Dubai Duty Free Tennis Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates – March 1, 2024 Russia’s Andrey Rublev reacts after losing his semi final match against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik REUTERS/Amr Alfiky
While Andrey Rublev barrelled through his qualifier tie, his semi-final match had a different scenario waiting for him. Andrey Rublev defaulted in the semi-final, and this pushed him out of the ATP Dubai 2024. As a result, Alexander Bublik moves to the final, after Rublev defaulted for swearing a linesman.
Rublev is about to lose his mind (rightfully so).
Linesperson says they understand Russian and that he said “fucking moron”
Bublik is baffled too…wanted to keep playing. Said it’s fine.
You can’t “translate” something and end a match like that. What a joke. ATP at it again. pic.twitter.com/cOgNQYO348
— Tim Preston (@TimmyTebrows) March 1, 2024
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While Rublev was raving in frustration in Russian, the linesman caught what he was saying. It turned out Andrey Rublev was cussing at the linesman and had said, “f*****g moron,” in Russian, which the linesman understood.
At the same time, Alexander Bublik, who wanted to continue the match, settled for an early entry into the final round of the ATP Dubai 2024.
Andrey Rublev’s ATP Dubai antics push him out of the tournament
In a tense semi-final tie, Rublev and Bublik went back and forth with the points, keeping a close tie. However, it all went downhill for the former after an incident of frustration with the linesman. Rublev lashed out at the linesman, going up to him to express frustration over a point awarded to Bublik.
via Reuters
Tennis – ATP 500 – Dubai Tennis Championships – Dubai Duty Free Tennis Centre, Dubai, United Arab Emirates – March 1, 2024 Russia’s Andrey Rublev talks to the umpire during his semi final match against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik REUTERS/Amr Alfiky
The linesman reported Rublev hurled abuses at him in Russian, which the former understood. Rublev was swiftly confronted, and subsequently handed an exit from the tournament, meaning he will depart without the $150,000 he earned from his performance in the tournament so far.
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Andrey Rublev is defaulted from the Dubai semi-final, sending Alexander Bublik through to the #DDFTennis final pic.twitter.com/tclfcXxDYY
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 1, 2024
According to Rublev however, he was not even speaking in Russian, leaving him in a confusing and frustrating situation as a whole. “I was talking in English, first of all,” Rublev maintained but to no avail. The linesman’s word was given the upper hand, and Rublev was forced out of the tournament.
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In the pandemonium, Alexander Bublik, who seemed fine with going on with the match, accepted an easy pass into the final. He came out looking extremely confused, saying, “I’m okay if we continue,” before the two ATP stars left the court.
