"Completely disappointed with the way I behaved" - Andrey Rublev on his angry outburst & racket smash in French Open 3R loss

Andrey Rublev addressed his recent outburst and racket smashes which happened during his third-round encounter at the 2024 French Open. He was defeated by Matteo Arnaldi 7-6(8), 6-2, 6-4.

Seeded sixth, Rublev kicked off his Roland Garros campaign by overcoming Taro Daniel 6-2, 6-7(3), 6-3, 7-5 in the first round. He then went on to defeat Spaniard Pedro Martinez 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in the second round before facing Arnaldi.

During his match against the Italian, Andrey Rublev's frustration was visibly evident after losing the first two sets. He had an emotional outburst on the court, vocalizing his frustration, hitting his knee repeatedly with a racket, and breaking several rackets in a fit of anger. He also vented his frustration by kicking his bench several times.

Watch the video here:

During the post-match press conference, Andrey Rublev expressed his disappointment with his behavior on the court.

"Nothing. Completely disappointed with myself the way I behaved, the way I performed, and I don't remember behaving worse on a Slam ever. I think it was the first time I ever behaved that bad. Not much to say," Rublev said [at 0:10].

The World No. 6 admitted that he let his emotions get the best of him, allowing Arnaldi to seize the opportunity to win the match.

"I think it's not about concentration. I think it's because the way I behave, I put myself completely down, and I gave Matteo wings to fly, and he was flying in the third set unbelievable. It was too late to do something," he said [at 0:48].

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Andrey Rublev: "The problem is the head, that today basically I kill myself"

Andrey Rublev at the 2024 French Open

During the same press conference, Andrey Rublev, who had won the 2024 Madrid Open title before coming in to play at the French Open, that his recent losses were not due to his tennis skills but his mental state and inability to control his emotions and anger.

"I was struggling then I had really good result in Madrid and now I'm playing well again. It's more I feel that I have a good game, I'm improving. The problem is the head, that today basically I kill myself and that's it," Andrey Rublev said [at 1:31].

Rublev attributed his outburst to the missed opportunities he faced during the match against Arnaldi, confessing that he struggled to contain his anger after losing the second set.

"I had a lot of opportunities, a lot of chances and I didn't make it. Then in one moment I completely lose it and that's it. When I had so many chances to take the lead and I didn't make. Then I completely was keeping it inside and when I there was the break second time in the second set I lose it completely," the Russian said [at 2:05].