Andrey Rublev Returns to Dubai with Renewed Perspective
Andrey Rublev, 27, is back in Dubai, a year after being disqualified from a match for losing his cool.
He was defaulted from the match against Alexander Bublik and stripped of his prize money and ranking points, which were later returned on appeal.
Andrey Rublev had a challenging episode, one of many last year, but he returns to Dubai with an altogether different mindset, fresh from winning the Qatar Open in Doha by beating Jack Draper in three sets.
In May, he battled through an initially undiagnosed throat abscess to win the Madrid Open, a Masters 1,000 event, but the physical and emotional effort soon took their toll.
Just over three weeks later, Andrey Rublev lost to Matteo Arnaldi in the third round of the French Open, an excruciating display of self-flagellation, smashing his racket and kicking furniture around the court.
Andrey Rublev likens how he feels about his tennis this year to someone who has just bought a new car, indicating a renewed sense of excitement and optimism.
He has spent close to 250 weeks in the world's top 10 and has repeatedly called for peace, most notably when he wrote 'No War Please' on a camera lens after reaching the final in Dubai three years ago.
Andrey Rublev's on-court behavior may be extreme, but his frustration with tennis is relatable to many, and he is recognizable as someone whose off-court persona is calm, thoughtful, and introspective, at odds with his behavior on the court.
On 18 February, Andrey Rublev said in a recent interview that sometimes you learn the most from the worst cases, reflecting on his experience in Dubai last year.
Andrey Rublev was given two warnings during the match for unsportsmanlike conduct and even admitted afterwards to “tanking” the second set: tennis speak for giving up, frequently looking close to tears during the match.
A few weeks later, Andrey Rublev lost in the first round of Wimbledon to Francisco Comesana, who was ranked No. 122 and had never won a match on the ATP tour, a disappointing result for the men's world No. 9.
Andrey Rublev says he was not happy with himself, depressed, and could not take it anymore, exploding after Wimbledon completely, but now he returns to Dubai with a renewed perspective and a fresh mindset.