"How can he say that when he's best friends with Alexander Zverev?": Fans slam Andrey Rublev's remarks on women's boxing controversy at Paris Olympics

Andrey Rublev's damning take on the raging Paris Olympics women's boxing controversy has not gone down well with tennis fans. Amid widespread support for Italy's Angela Carini, who abandoned her bout after only 46 seconds against Algeria's Imane Khelif at the Paris Games, Rublev also chose to stand in Carini's corner.

On Thursday, August 2, Carini decided not to go ahead with her bout against Khelif after the Algerian delivered two hard-hitting punches, which the Italian later described as the hardest she had ever been hit throughout her boxing career.

The controversy surrounding Khelif stems from a failed gender eligibility test at the 2023 World Championships, which revealed the Algerian had XY chromosomes. Carini is suspected to have suffered a broken nose as a result of Khelif's punches.

In light of these controversial developments, World No. 8 Andrey Rublev took to his Instagram Story to share his thoughts on the subject. The Russian expressed his dismay at the fact that Khelif has been cleared to compete at this year's edition of the Olympics. He went on to empathize with Carini.

"Now at the biggest and most important sport event <<Olympic Games>> we see live how a man who identifies as a woman is hitting a woman (saying it's equal rights boxing) and no one's stopping this. If a man would identify himself as a kid, would they let him compete at a kids boxing tournament? This is something I'll never understand. I feel really sorry for the Italian athlete who was preparing for a long time for this moment," read a part of Rublev's now-deleted post.

Several fans on X (formerly Twitter) criticized Rublev over his post, with many suggesting that the Russian is in no position to share such opinions considering he is friends with Alexander Zverev. In recent years, Zverev's personal life has been under considerable scrutiny due to two separate allegations of domestic violence. One of those resulted in a much-publicized trial earlier this year, which the German settled out-of-court.

"How can he say that when he's best friends with Zverev? Where is the shame??? and Imane Khelif is not trans!" a fan wrote.

"If you’re a man so concerned with protecting women then why do you not care about the domestic abusers on your that you’re so chummy with?" asked a fan.

"'Nothing can be worse for a man than hitting a woman' yet you're friends with zv*rev CURIOUS," another fan commented.

"Zverev, an ATP top ten player has been credibly accused, multiple times of violence against women and Rublev said nothing. None of these men give a damn about protecting women," another fan chimed in.

Another set of fans questioned Rublev how he could come to such a judgment considering his mental instability on the tennis court. The Russian has, on multiple occasions over the years, stirred controversy by self-harming with a racquet during and after losses.

"Says the guy that smashes rackets on his head every match. Great example," wrote a fan.

"Rublev, whose mental state is questionable, finally decided to mock another person instead of knowing the truth first, and seeking professional help is comical. Lost all my respect!" another fan weighed in.

"I already started liking him less and less, but it’s still sad he fuels the hate with even more misinformation," commented another fan.

"I don't remember behaving worse" - Andrey Rublev after concerning series of outbursts at French Open 2024

Andrey Rublev (Source: Getty)

Rublev was stunned by Italian Matteo Arnaldi in straight sets at this year's French Open. However, Arnaldi's remarkable win was overshadowed by the Russian's outbursts on the court, which were all too frequent as he failed to keep his emotions in check.

The World No. 8 not only voiced his frustrations but also took them out on several of his racquets, breaking them in the process. Additionally, he hit his knee with a racquet and also kicked out at his bench.

After the match, at a press conference, Rublev reflected on his behavior and showed remorse, opining that it was his worst behavior at a Major.

"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.

Rublev is currently competing at the Mubadala Citi DC Open. The top-seeded Russian has reached the third round of the ATP 500 event, where he is facing Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech at the time of writing.