Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev had one of his best seasons this year. He started off well, but unfortunately, he could not hold on to his great run of form. Rublev ended the year on a disappointing note at the Nitto ATP Finals and was guilty of smashing his racket on his knee. He has, finally, opened up about the reason he lost his cool on the court.
Rublev could not win a single match during the round-robin stage of the year-end tournament. He was frustrated with himself, and his temper boiled over when he took on Carlos Alcaraz. The 26-year-old took out his disappointment on himself as he hit himself in the knee, drawing blood.
Andrey’s outburst surprised everyone, including Nick Kyrgios, who offered to help him. Rublev has since opened up about his reaction in Turin. The world number 5 confessed that he would much rather harm himself than the court during moments of intense resentment.
Rublev gave two reasons for his outburst. The first one was because of his rackets, since he is very selective about them and only a few suit him. He cited the second reason as strong resentment towards himself, about how he has a case of ‘conscious anger.’
“Sometimes I have such strong resentment towards myself that I no longer know what else to do to give myself a sign that it’s time to wake up. All this leads to this outburst of anger,” he said (via the Daily Express).
Andrey Rublev had a successful season and even won his first Masters 1000 title in Monte Carlo. He has been consistent, but there are a few things he wants to improve on next year.
Andrey Rublev will work on improving one specific aspect next year
The Russian has steadily improved over the years. His performances and ATP titles are a testament to his maturity as a player. However, there is one aspect still that he says he needs to improve on.
Rublev conceded that his backhand has improved a lot this year. The Russian is conscious of the fact that he can take the pressure off himself if he focuses on his mentality a bit more. Andrey compared himself to the likes of Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and others. He added that they were far more stable than he was.
“The main thing, of course, is psychology. This is what I miss the most compared to Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz, and Jannik Sinner. They are much more stable than me psychologically,” he said.
Andrey Rublev has his work cut out for him next season. He will try to improve in areas like his service while simultaneously honing his assets. Rublev has had a successful year and will hope to continue in this vein in 2024.