Acclaimed Russian tennis player, Andrey Rublev, is making fervent attempts to find joy on the tennis green and beyond. In the preceding year, the Moscow-born ace has grappled with a myriad of challenges, including battling the dark shadows of depression. These personal struggles have unsurprisingly taken a toll on his performances.
Rublev did, however, manage to nab a few impressive victories in the 2024 season. He reigned supreme at the Mutua Madrid Open and advanced to the final round at the Montreal Masters 1000. Despite these achievements, it was evident to spectators that Rublev was wrestling with personal issues, with his visible frustration often spiralling into distressing episodes of self-harm.
The first two months of 2025 seemed to bring a semblance of stability for Rublev. Even his early exit in the first round of the Australian Open at the hands of the rising Brazilian prodigy, Joao Fonseca, didn’t seem to faze him. Rublev recognized Fonseca’s undeniable prowess on the court, and his graceful acceptance of defeat indicated an understanding that the Brazilian’s performance was nothing short of flawless.
His composed demeanor paid off handsomely at the Doha ATP 500, where he clinched the championship despite the presence of formidable opponents such as four-time Grand Slam winner, Carlos Alcaraz, and the legendary Serbian player, Novak Djokovic. But the euphoria of victory was short-lived. Rublev was unable to maintain his winning streak, suffering an early elimination in Dubai the subsequent week.
Recently, Rublev made his way to Indian Wells ahead of time, gearing up for the first Masters 1000 of the season. His best performance at the tournament was reaching the semifinals in 2022. However, a recently surfaced video on social media paints a turbulent picture of Rublev’s mental state. The clip shows a visibly enraged Rublev during his practice session with Cerundolo, hurling his racket onto the ground after a minor mistake. This incident underscores that Rublev still has some personal demons to wrestle with.
The Russian’s first adversary at the Californian tournament will be the Italian star Matteo Arnaldi, whom Rublev triumphed over in the 2024 Canadian Open semifinals. Whether Rublev’s fury fuels his performance or hinders it remains to be seen.
