Andrey Rublev Breaks Racket in Frustration Despite $3000 Fine at the US Open

Let’s be real: armchair pundits are tired of repeating it, fans dread hearing it, and deep down, it must exhaust Andrey Rublev. In a sport where Alexander Zverev carries the best without a Slam tag, Rublev shoulders the crueler label of never escaping the deepest rounds of majors. He nearly rewrote that narrative at the US Open, clawing through a five-set war with Coleman Wong in the third round. But in the very next match of R16, Rublev again came up short, unraveling under the brightest lights and leaving the story as raw and unforgiving as ever

At Arthur Ashe, Rublev’s night is unraveling fast. Down two sets to Felix Auger-Aliassime, the Russian’s rhythm has drifted into chaos, his frustration spilling over in front of a restless crowd.

The boiling point came with a brutal racket smash, a raw outburst that echoed louder than the points he’s losing. One fan captured it perfectly on X: “Massive racket smash from Rublev. Losing his cool. Felix needs a solid final service game here to snag the 2nd set.” The storm around Andrey Rublev only grows darker.

And guess what? The storm around Rublev began even before his round-of-16 showdown. The Russian ace had recently been hit with a $3,000 fine, a punishment he insists was unfair. His frustration was visible, and as the match unfolded, it all came spilling out.

Ranked No. 15 in men’s singles, Andrey Rublev drew a fine for foul language during his second-round clash with American Tristan Boyer. Yet, in Rublev’s eyes, the reasoning simply didn’t add up. He made it clear that his words, when directed at himself, should not come with such a heavy price tag.

“Depends on the situation,” he explained after grinding through a five-set third-round win. “When you are talking to yourself in a bad way, it’s my decision how I do it. You cannot, in my opinion, you cannot charge for this.”

The fiery Russian argued further that expletives in the heat of battle are nothing new “in all of sports,” as he put it. To Andrey Rublev, unless the words are thrown at an umpire, opponent, or the entire stadium, they should stay part of the player’s internal fight.

But when the lights hit Arthur Ashe in R16, the story turned bitter again. Rublev unraveled under Felix Auger-Aliassime’s relentless fire, dropping the match in straight sets. His drought stretches on, and the haunting label of a player who can’t break through lingers. This year, the curse remains unbroken.

Andrey Rublev’s Grand Slam breakthrough remains elusive

Felix Auger-Aliassime has roared into the quarterfinals, dismantling Rublev 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 in just two hours and 16 minutes. For the Canadian, this victory carried extra weight; it was his first win over Rublev in three years, trimming their head-to-head tally to 2-7.

Armed with 13 aces against Andrey Rublev’s four and an 83% first-serve success rate compared to the Russian’s 71%, Felix never let go of the momentum. He clinched 104 total points, leaving Rublev stranded at 80, and made the performance look as commanding as the numbers suggest.

Yet, Rublev’s story took a darker turn even before this loss. His five-set escape against qualifier Coleman Wong, a match that should have been routine, instead exposed his old demons, brilliance clouded by inconsistency and simmering frustration.

While Andrey Rublev graciously praised Wong for his courage and clean striking, the bigger concern lies in his inability to tame his own emotions. The Russian has fought for months to channel his fire into his game, but time and again, it flares destructively.

With Rublev gone, the spotlight now shines squarely on Auger-Aliassime, who will next face Alex de Minaur for a coveted semifinal spot.

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