Patrick Mouratoglou gives his verdict on Andrey Rublev’s ‘craziness’ amid health health fears
Andrey Rublev’s angry on court outbursts have sparked concerns over his mental health, yet coaching guru Patrick Mouratoglou has insisted he needs that five in his belly to succeed.
Rublev is losing his cool on court with increasing frequency, with his habit of smashing a racket into his thigh and occasionally drawing blood with the level of violence he is inflicting on himself sparking a debate over his conduct.
The Russian star was thrown out of the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this year after he screamed at a line person, with former world No 1 Andy Roddick speaking about the incident in the latest edition of his Served podcast.
“I watch the outbursts and I don’t think it’s funny,” said Roddick. “I like Andrey Rublev a lot. Everyone in the locker room really likes Andrey Rublev. He’s one of the most liked guys on tour.
“This isn’t as if we’re going after Rublev, it comes from a genuine place of concern.
“How about if you hit yourself you get a warning? If you break the racket on the deck you would get that, but I just feel that breaking your racket on the court is a way lesser evil than self-harm out there.”
Now Mouratoglou has suggested Rublev’s fire on court is part of his make-up, as he suggested the Russian wants to find a balance between passion and composure on court.
Speaking exclusively to Tennis365 ahead of the UTS Grand Final in London next month, the former coach of Serena Williams and current coach of Naomi Osaka spoke about a player who has also lost his cool when playing in his UTS Tour.
“I think he had some tough moments this year, he has struggled to control himself and I think he hurts himself,” said Mouratoglou, as he spoke about Rublev.
“He had one moment like this in UTS Grand Final in London last year, and I saw him after the match and he was feeling so bad about himself, he said sorry 200 times, he was so ashamed, but when he’s in the heat of the moment, he’s just not him, it’s the heat of the movement that he’s struggling with.
“When this happens I think it hurts him and I think it hurts his results this year. You had this one at UTS, you had Dubai, and I think that’s one of the reasons he’s struggled so much this year.
“I think he needs that craziness to play his best and I think that if he tries to control it because he’s scared to go too far, then he struggles to find his tennis so that’s a thin line that’s difficult to find for him.”
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Rublev spoke to Tennis365 at last year’s UTS Grand Finals about his explosive outbursts on court, as he confirmed he has sought professional help to solve his issues.
“You work on it every day,” Rublev told Tennis365. “There are many things in life that are stressing us out and make us very angry.
“You can practise how to be calm when you want to explode everything. Then my coach has the psychology lessons.
“I have lost some matches because of myself. That is the reality and that makes it harder.
“To play your best you need a clear mind, but my emotions don’t always let me do that. I know I need to work on it, but it is not easy.”
“In the bigger matches, when you want it most, that is when it is hard to control emotions.”
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