WATCH: Andrey Rublev’s latest meltdown in shock French Open loss
Andrey Rublev’s emotional control is again under the spotlight after the world No 6 crashed out of the French Open in a disappointing round three display.
The sixth seed and recent Madrid Open champion became the first top-15 player in the men’s draw to exit Roland Garros on Friday, after a poor showing against Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi.
Rising star Arnaldi undoubtedly impressed in a 7-6(6), 6-2, 6-4 victory to reach the second week of a Slam for just the second time in his career, but it was a far from perfect display from Rublev.
The Russian was broken five times across the contest and hit a staggering 37 unforced errors, compared to only 32 winners – while Arnaldi hit only 19 unforced errors, but an impressive 38 winners.
And, disappointingly, the world No 6’s temper boiled over multiple times out on Court Suzanne Lenglen, as he missed the chance to return to the second week.
Matteo Arnaldi sta facendo impazzire Andrej Rublev #EurosportTENNIS #Tennis #RolandGarros #Arnaldi #Rublev pic.twitter.com/UH7Jw6hb4b
— Eurosport IT (@Eurosport_IT) May 31, 2024
Rublev repeatedly screamed on court, smashed his racket, and at one stage in the third set smashed his racket into his own body as he struggled to contain his emotions in an emotionally charged contest.
And the crowd on Lenglen began to boo the former quarter-finalist as his frustrations began to grow, with support switching more and more towards his Italian opponent as the match went on.
Rublev has frequently been accused of being unable to control his emotions on court – a matter that came to a head when he was defaulted from the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this season.
It was an afternoon to forget for Andrey Rublev at Roland-Garros #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/U0ou2C16Ca
— Eurosport (@eurosport) May 31, 2024
He was sensationally disqualified from his semi-final against Alexander Bublik after yelling at a line judge in the closing stages of the match, though was later allowed to keep his prize money and ranking points from the tournament.
The incident left a significant mark on the world No 6 over the next month, with the Russian an unusually subdued figure across a disappointing US hard court swing in Indian Wells and Miami.
He then suffered early defeats on clay in Monte Carlo, where he was the defending champion and Barcelona – though bounced back in Madrid.
Rublev beat the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Felix Auger-Aliassime to claim the second Masters 1000 title of his career, and that victory cemented him as one of the Roland Garros favourites in an open men’s draw.
However, his wait for a first Grand Slam semi-final – and ultimately, a first major title – now continues.
