Tennis player Andrey Rublev made quite a scene when facing off against Francisco Comesana at Wimbledon.
The 26-year-old tennis player went viral after beating himself with his racquet during the match, which took place on Tuesday, July 2. In the clip, Rublev overshot when returning one of Comesana’s hits. Once the ball went out of bounds, Rublev could be seen hitting himself repeatedly in the leg.
The unreturned hit came during Rublev’s first-round match against Comesana, 23, to lead the third set. While the crowd cheered, Rublev yelled something before he was seen exiting the court. He ultimately lost the match against Comesana.
Rublev was questioned by reporters about the moment following his loss — blaming his seven hits on his knee on the Wimbledon rules.
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“I would not do it if I was able to hit the racquet on the floor. “Because we’re not allowed to hit them with the grass,” he said during a press conference. “I don’t know why in that moment, I couldn’t take it any more. I needed to let emotions out. But thanks, everything is fine. Again, I was a bit lucky.”
Djokovic is out here winning despite a knee injury, meanwhile Rublev is doing his best to self-inflict a knee injury.
He needs to stop this. #Wimbledon
— The Second Serve (@the2ndserve) July 2, 2024
The athlete also made it clear that he will not be revisiting the moment.
“I don’t watch those kind of videos,” he said. “It’s not only about watching the videos. In general it’s about trying to improve yourself. It’s a process and it takes time.”
This is hardly the first time Rublev went viral for his behavior on the court. He had a similar outburst during the French Open in late May. After losing to Matteo Arnaldi, he hit his racquet against his leg in a similar manner before slamming it on the ground.
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“I collapse with myself, I get emotional, I lost my serve, and then I lose it completely and basically I almost — no, I tank the second set, and then it was too late, because then he start to play unbelievable,” he told reporters after the match, reflecting on that outburst.
After Tuesday’s Wimbledon match, Rublev compared his most recent meltdowns on the court.
“I didn’t behave today as in Paris, but still I could do much better. This is not the way. Of course, it’s the main priority, to be able during all the match to be positive,” he told reporters. “To win some matches to get this like kind of rhythm back. It’s not easy. Since I lost in Paris, I think I didn’t play matches for almost two weeks.”
He added: “When the rhythm is a bit breaking, it’s not easy. You need one, two matches to again feel this confidence back. I guess that’s what I need now.”
