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Madrid Open: Frustrated Andrey Rublev Engages in Heated Argument as He Blatantly Demands Rule Changes in Tennis

Published 04/28/2024, 11:06 AM EDT

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The crowd witnessed another heated moment featuring Andrey Rublev at the Madrid Open. During his round of 32 match against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, the tennis star earned the attention of the fans with his dominance, taking down the Spaniard with a final scoreline of 7-6, 6-4. However, besides the victory, a heated argument with the chair umpire made the match extraordinary.

With a massive victory over his Spanish opponent, Rublev finally returns to the round of 16 for the first time since his controversial episode in the Dubai Tournament with a linesman. However, in the middle of the intense showdown, the Russian tennis star appeared to be unhappy with a call from the chair umpire and therefore lashed out at him in rage.

On the verge of reliving that match, he indulged in an argument with the main referee, making a statement that raised concerns over the authority of the officials. “We need machines on court not referees,” he exclaimed, throwing a serious question towards the authenticity of the umpire. The incident took place in the middle of the second set which the Russian managed to get on his side in the eventually.

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“Mentally I was dejected, I played the first points of the tie-break as if I didn’t care. Then, 5-0 down, I got two points and said ‘let’s see how it goes’. I got to 5-4, the gap closed and in the end I won,” he said, coming up with an explanation after the match.

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As the tennis star continues to move ahead on his journey, the match marks another incident of him getting involved in a heated argument with the officials, ending up treating them with possibly offensive statements.

Andrey Rublev’s trail of harsh comments towards officials continues

This wasn’t the first time when Andrey Rublev misbehaved with the officials. Back when the tennis star appeared for his match against Alexander Bublik, he was unhappy with a call from the lineman and therefore ended up spewing foul language.

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The chair umpire wasted no time in reviewing the situation and therefore decided to punish him by imposing charges for unsportsmanlike conduct. Rublev, in response, tried to calm the situation by pleading, “I didn’t say ‘f******’. I swear to God. This is huge. I swear to God.”

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However, his call wasn’t heard and he had to face a send-off along with being imposed with a notable fine of $36,000. While the intensity of his argument wasn’t high enough in Madrid, it still remains to be seen if he continues to be the same in the matches ahead.

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Written by:

Akshay Kapoor

901Articles

One take at a time

Akshay Kapoor, a tennis writer at EssentiallySports, excels in crafting pieces that set new trends. His analytical skills riding on the back of certification in Digital Marketing help inject in-depth research as he covers the business undertakings of Tennis stars. Akshay’s articles touch the entire tennis spectrum, from iconic figures like Djokovic and emerging talents such as Holger Rune and Coco Gauff.
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Edited by:

Arunima Bhanot