Andrey Rublev found himself in a tense situation during the fourth set of his match, justifying a delay in serving by claiming he didn’t have enough balls available at the 2024 Australian Open.
During his first-round match against Thiago Seyboth Wild on Sunday, he complained loudly to the chair umpire Janssen, where he argued that the shot clock had started ticking even though all the balls were not on his side of the court. The umpire disagreed, stating that there were enough balls.
Rublev lost his cool and addressed the umpire after emphasizing that according to the rules, he should have six balls for each game. He claimed the right to choose from all six balls on the court before the shot clock was activated. The verbal exchange led to disapproval from the umpire and the crowd at the Rod Laver Arena.
“You start the shot clock when I don’t have balls on my side. No she was throwing the ball.”
-Andrey Rublev said to the umpire
“You have enough balls”
-The umpire Janssen replied
Despite the argument, the 26-year-old went on to win his service game, but the matter was not resolved. Immediately, after the point, he approached the referee’s chair for another confrontation, insisting that it wasn’t the umpire’s decision to determine if he had enough balls.
Rublev ended up losing the fourth set and the match was pushed to the decider where he rallied to secure victory against the Brazilian with a score of 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6(10-6).
Daniil Medvedev’s previous upset creates a mental obstacle for Andrey Rublev in the Australian Open opener
Andrey Rublev has acknowledged that thoughts of Daniil Medvedev‘s unexpected loss at the 2023 French Open crossed his mind during his intense opening-round match against Thiago Seyboth Wild at the 2024 Australian Open.
Seyboth Wild, known for defeating Medvedev in the 2023 French Open, faced Rublev, who had a two-set lead before he found himself in a tough battle as the Brazilian fought back.
Rublev, leading 7-5, 6-4 initially looked good to finish the match in straight sets. However, Seyboth managed to win the next two sets, forcing the match to a decider.
In the post-match interview, Rublev admitted to having thoughts of Medvedev’s loss affected his mental state, leading him to give up mentally during the super tie-break.
“In my head, a lot of times[there was] Daniil’s match of Roland Garros. I was already thinking in the fifth set. When I had so many opportunities and I couldn’t take it, I was thinking, ‘Okay, for sure we are going to see the same story like Daniil at Roland Garros. And then I don’t know, when I was losing 4-1[in the super tie-break], already mentally I gave up.”
– Andrey Rublev in the post match interview
