When asked whether he felt his national identity worked as a distraction during competitive matches, Rublev disclosed that he had received negative comments from tennis fans on social media in the past, which put him in a tough spot.
He did claim, however, that the best way to deal with such trolls was to ignore their comments altogether.
It should also be noted that Rublev is partnering Ukraine’s Denys Molchanov in Dubai this week in the doubles event. In that context, the media saw fit to probe him on whether the ongoing military crisis between Russia and Ukraine affected their dynamic at all.
In response, Rublev maintained that the situation in Ukraine was much more important than the duo’s doubles match. The Russian then expressed hope for “peace in the world,” implying that he doesn’t agree with his home country’s actions in the past few hours.
“For someone like me, the toughest part is emotions” - Andrey Rublev on Alexander Zverev’s violent outburst in Acapulco
Rublev was also asked to weigh in on his good friend Alexander Zverev’s violent outburst at Acapulco, which ultimately resulted in the German’s disqualification from the ATP 500 tournament. Zverev hurled expletives at the chair umpire and repeatedly smashed his racket on the umpire’s chair after losing his doubles match.
The Russian gave his own perspective on the German’s controversy, claiming that it is often hard to contain emotions during matches.
Rublev will take on either Jannik Sinner or Hubert Hurkacz for a place in the final of this year’s Dubai Tennis Championships. The Russian, who lost to Aslan Karatsev in the semifinals of last year’s event, will be keen to reach his first-ever final in the Arab capital.
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