When the pressure hits, even the pros snap. This season hasn’t been one Andrey Rublev would call ideal. The Russian, once ranked No.5 back in 2021, has slipped to No.15 and battled inconsistency all year. He claimed a title in Qatar early in the season but made it to only one other final in Hamburg. Since then, early exits have haunted him. Now, with a fresh start at the Vienna Open, where he lifted the title in 2020, fans hoped for a deep run. But when his opponent turned out to be a wall, Rublev’s racket didn’t stand a chance.

On Tuesday, Rublev faced Cameron Norrie in the opening round. He came in low on confidence after back-to-back first-round exits in Hangzhou and Shanghai. Barely 20 minutes into the match, his frustration spilled over. Down 1-3, Rublev smashed his racket to the ground.

It wasn’t new. Andrey Rublev has long grappled with bursts of anger on court. He often channels his frustration through racket-smashing, both in matches and training. Earlier this year at the Miami Open, he did the same. These outbursts often stem from his struggles with mental health, including depression and anxiety.

Previously, Rublev has spoken openly about hitting a “mental dead end” and going through a period of change both professionally and personally. He’s been working with a psychologist and recently added former world No.1 Marat Safin to his coaching team to help manage those emotions better. He had shown signs of improvement in handling anger on court. But this time in Vienna, the stress clearly took its toll.

This is a developing story…