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Reuters

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Reuters

With the tennis season going on in full swing, players are battling it out to claim top honors. While doing so, there have been bursts of emotions, some while celebrating victories, others during a show of frustration. One such incident occurred with Andrey Rublev recently.

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The Russian tennis star lost it while playing his match at the Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships. Rublev, who is known for being hot-headed, became the talk of the town following the incident. Let’s explore what happened with him and other instances where he was involved in a similar situation.

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Andrey Rublev lost his cool at ATP Dubai

The 26-year-old was up against Alexander Bublik in the semifinal in Dubai. It was a see-saw battle between the two, with Rublev trailing 6-5 in the final set when the incident took place. As the players proceeded for a changeover, Rublev wasn’t happy at the official and smashed his racket hard onto the court.

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USA Today via Reuters

Seconds later, he was seen screaming in the face of the linesman. A Russian translator was present at the tournament and accused Rublev of swearing at the official. As a result, the Russian star was defaulted from the match, handing Bublik the win. Later, Rublev faced the wrath of the fans on social media for his actions. This is not the first time Rublev was seen shouting during a match. A similar incident took place in Shanghai last year.

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Rublev’s show of anger in Shanghai

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A hot-headed Rublev was playing in the Shanghai Masters final in 2023 against Hubert Hurkacz. During the summit clash, emotions flew high as the Russian star shouted at a cameraperson. This incident also took place during the third set.

Rublev and Hurkacz were involved in a tense rally when the cameraperson moved out of his chair mid-rally. This apparently broke Rublev’s concentration and he went on to lose the point and the match. Weeks later, he had another meltdown at the UTS event.

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UTS event summed up Rublev’s 2023 season

The trick card, introduced in the UTS, caused controversy during Rublev’s match against Holger Rune. The Russian star was left furious when he learned that the umpire hadn’t seen his request to use the trick card.

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On the contrary, the umpire had allowed Rune to use the trick card, leaving Rublev shocked. The Russian star halted the match and argued with the official angrily. The drama went on before he lost the quarter and the match eventually.

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It is unfortunate to see a top player losing his cool on multiple occasions. While he even underwent anger management treatment, Rublev will look to control his anger and keep his emotions in check in the future.

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Written by

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Vatsal Shah

3,705 Articles

Vatsal Shah is a tennis journalist at EssentiallySports, covering ATP and WTA storylines from the ES Trends Desk since 2023. He delivers breaking insights on major tournaments and player arcs, decoding tactical shifts and viral moments into accessible takeaways for fans worldwide. His coverage of Taylor Townsend’s Dubai title win stood out for capturing both the emotional significance of her victory and the context of her comeback.

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Arunima Bhanot

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