During his match against Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP Finals, Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev took his anger out on himself in a fit of frustration.
The 26-year-old threw his racket after Alcaraz continued to get the better of him during the match in Italy on Wednesday, Nov. 15, and when he lost the next point he redirected his rage to his knee. He repeatedly hit his racket on his left knee and went to sit down, at which point his knee started to bleed. During the changeover, he was tended to by medics but continued to play the game, which Alcaraz eventually won in a 7-5, 6-2 victory.
In a post-game interview, per the Express, Rublev was asked if he sustained any last damage after his tantrum. "Nothing. Nothing happened," said Rublev. "It's not easy because you always want to finish in a good way. Sometimes you get disappointed when it's not happening. Today I got disappointed and I couldn’t manage it. ... It makes no difference if I lose to a close friend or any other player."
He added, "It's very disappointing that I was not able to manage my frustration better."
20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz is currently the No. 2 tennis player in the world and was formerly the No. 1 player. Rublev, meanwhile, is ranked No. 5 in singles and No. 44 in doubles. He fared well at the Monte-Carlo Masters earlier this year, where he was named the Men's singles champion. He was also victorious at the Madrid Open, where he won the Men's doubles alongside his playing partner Karen Khachnaov. Alcaraz was named the Men's singles champion at the same tournament.
