In the high-stakes world of tennis, a player’s health is paramount, especially during a crucial tournament like Wimbledon. But, what happens when a player’s display of anger looks like self-destructive behavior? As surprising as it sounds, that’s exactly what it seemed like Andrey Rublev was doing in his first-round match at the prestigious grass-court Grand Slam. In a moment that left fans stunned, the Russian tennis star’s unusual move sparked a whirlwind of reactions and raised eyebrows across the tennis community.

Playing his first-round match against Argentina’s Francisco Comesana, Rublev suffered a surprise defeat 4-6,7-5,2-6,6(5)-7(7). While this humiliation would have already taken the Russian player aback, what further added to his dismay was the angry reactions from the fans over his reaction to his loss.

Rublev was seen extremely furious in the third set when he misjudged a shot from Comesana and hit it outside the court. Since he was already struggling in the match, the Russian could not contain his anger and was seen slamming his racquet against his knees multiple times. This caught the attention of the fans, who now demand stringent action against the 26-year-old. 

Andrey Rublev’s act comes at a time when another star player is defying the odds to recover from a knee injury. Novak Djokovic, who had injured his knee in the fourth round at Roland Garros, proved everyone wrong to return to the courts early at Wimbledon and went on to win his first match. So on one side, there is a player who is fighting against a knee injury, while on the other, there is one whose gestures can lead to trouble for him.

‘Horrendous to see’ Andrey Rublev receives backlash from tennis fans

Soon after the video of Rublev inflicting self-harm went viral, tennis fans came out in protest and demanded action against the Russian tennis star. Taking to his Twitter handle, journalist Ben Rothenberg wrote “This needs to be a code violation, even under the general unsportsmanlike conduct umbrella. Rublev can’t be doing this, if for no other reason that it’s disturbing for fans to watch.” 

According to the ATP rule book, unsportsmanlike conduct is any misconduct by a player that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the success of a tournament. It also adds that players cannot act in a way that can cause trouble or be problematic for their opponents and the spectators. 

Rothenberg’s tweet soon started gaining support from the fans alike. “This would normally be a code so not sure why he wasn’t pulled up for it” Earlier, Novak Djokovic was fined for a similar instance when he hit his tennis racquet against the net post in the 2023 Wimbledon Final. He was charged under the ‘racquet abuse’ category and a hefty fine of $8000 was imposed on him.

Another user simply agreed to the journalist’s tweet and wrote “Couldn’t agree more. Horrendous to see.” This further highlighted the negativities that fans had to witness during the match. Meanwhile, the series of backlashes continued.

Another user took to the microblogging platform and said, “He needs serious help.” Echoing similar sentiments, another user pointed, “Agree. He is out of control in 2024.” Earlier, Rublev depicted similar behavior. In the first round at the Halle Open this year which Rublev lost, he was seen smashing his racquet against the ground after hitting a shot off the court. He depicted a similar gesture at the French Open as well. 

The world No. 6 was upset by young Italian Matteo Arnaldi in straight sets in the third round. He screamed at his box, smashed his racket, kicked his bench, and repeatedly smacked himself in the knee before crashing out 7-6(6) 6-2 6-4.

Another user highlighted the ill effects of such acts on the younger generation. “What kind of message does it send to the children who watch tennis? Def should be forbidden on the court.” With tennis being a sport watched and practiced by kids as well, such acts are definitely a stigma that impacts the spirit of the game. 

While the Russian player has been ousted from Wimbledon, it will be interesting to see if he can control his anger issues, and return in a better state in the upcoming matches.