Andrey Rublev‘s performance trajectory continues to sink as he faces another first-match defeat at the Barcelona Open. The tennis star, who has been struggling with his form right from the start of this season, faced Brandon Nakashima as his inaugural match opponent at the clay court tournament, where he had to walk out with immense disappointment.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Nakashima appeared to be quite dominant over the Russian tennis star and therefore took him down in straight sets (6-4, 7-6). While it was already expected that frustration would make its way into his mind with this defeat, his raging action after the defeat confirmed it. After hitting the ball out of the line during match point, Rublev lost him and therefore ended up releasing the frustration on his racket.
Nakashima shines ✨@b_nakashima records a second Top-10 victory of his career as he defeats Rublev 6-4 7-6!#BCNOpenBS pic.twitter.com/vu8Lcz2i4j
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 16, 2024
As soon as the Americans secured the win, Rublev couldn’t handle the stress and therefore indulged in this act of rage. As it marked another event where he faced elimination in the first round itself, his statistics continue to sink, raising concerns about his current form.
Top Stories
Rublev’s downfall started after his second-round defeat at the Indian Wells Masters, where he faced Jiri Lehecka. He decided to come back stronger at the Miami Open but still couldn’t tackle the competition as he faced another consecutive defeat against Tomas Machac.
The dark clouds of disappointment followed him at the Monte Carlo Masters, where the Australian tennis star Alexei Popyrin served him with another straight-set defeat, making his statistics even worse. Now that the defeat in Barcelona adds up to his losing streak, the expectations of the fans are sure to take a hit.
Andrey Rublev’s racket smash ignited discussion about his image
This isn’t the first time Andrey Rublev couldn’t contain his anger and performed a raging act on the court. Back in 2023 at the ATP Finals, the tennis star made headlines as he indulged in the terrible activity of smashing his racket with his own leg as the target, drawing out blood in the arena filled with thousands of fans.
Tennis Star Andrey Rublev Bloodies Knee During Wild Temper Tantrum On Court | Click to read more 👇 https://t.co/v9sdrKeuxv
— TMZ (@TMZ) November 15, 2023
“I’m very selective – it’s hard for me to find rackets that I like. Even if they are the same, out of 15 rackets, only two or three will suit me. Because of this, I feel sorry for hitting them on the court again, because if they break, then I have to look for them again. And that can take a long time, so I hit the knees and not the court,” he said, explaining the reason behind hurting himself.
As the tennis star finds himself out of another tournament, it remains to be seen if he will gain back his momentum in the upcoming events.
