Controversial Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev has hit out at US Open officials after he was fined for an ‘audible obscenity’ in the middle of his match.
The world No. 15 – notorious for his previous on-court meltdowns – will have to give back $3,000 of his earnings in this year’s competition after cursing at himself during his second-round win over American Tristan Boyer.
The 27-year-old, who competes as a neutral athlete due to Russia’s war with Ukraine, was asked about the fine for foul language during a press conference over the weekend, and whether he feels it is fair.
‘Depends. Depends on the situation. When you are talking to yourself in a bad way, it’s my decision how I do it,’ he told reporters. ‘You cannot, in my opinion, you cannot charge for this.
‘If you talk to the referee or umpire with bad words, yes, like when you do it towards someone or you scream on all courts, yes, obviously. But when you talk to yourself, it’s your decision how you talk. It doesn’t matter even if the umpire hears what you are saying or not for this. I don’t think so.
‘At the end of the day, in all the sports, it’s normal. It doesn’t matter what sport you take, in the crucial moments, it happens. It’s sports. It’s life. The same with every person outside in life in crucial moments, in stressful moments.
Russian Andrey Rublev was fined for a foul-mouthed outburst at himself at the US Open
Rublev is notoriously hot-headed and often reacts with fury while playing tennis
‘I don’t believe all of us are super holy and never say bad words in the crucial moments. It’s the same thing… like I said if you doing it towards someone or you’re doing it too much openly, yes, but with yourself, it’s your decision how you talk.’
Rublev is notorious for his meltdowns on tour and has openly spoken about seeing a psychologist in a bid to calm down his emotions on the court.
At the 2022 French Open, he was fined $8,000 for smashing a ball against a courtside chair, after it bounced up and knocked the hat off a nearby groundsman.
And at the 2023 ATP Tour Finals, he repeatedly hit himself so hard with his own racket that he drew blood, after becoming frustrated in a match against Carlos Alcaraz.
On multiple occasions he has drawn blood after smashing his racket against his own leg
His good friend and fellow Russian Daniil Medvedev was also fined for a meltdown in New York
The same thing happened at the Paris Masters in 2024, and in March of the same year he was disqualified from the Dubai Open after screaming at a line judge.
Fellow Russian – and Rublev’s close friend – Daniil Medvedev has also been fined by officials at this year’s US Open, after his headline-grabbing meltdown at the umpire during his first-round loss to Benjamin Bonzi.
The remarkable situation occurred after a photographer inadvertently walked on court at match point, leading to Medvedev asking the crowd to boo, abusing the umpire and refusing to continue for five minutes.
He was fined $42,500 for the on-court crash-out, while the photographer had his credential revoked for the mistake.
