"I feel really bad every time" - Andrey Rublev gets honest about 'worst' emotion he feels on the tennis court

Modified Feb 18, 2025 19:34 GMT

Andrey Rublev recently spoke in detail about his pattern of self-harm during tough matches. The Russian attributed the "stress and adrenaline" that comes with high-level competition to his worst on-court moments while also talking about the fans who have seen him have a meltdown.

Rublev started his Qatar Open campaign on a fine note on Tuesday (Feb. 18), beating Alexander Bublik 6-3, 6-4 to reach the second round of the ATP 250 tournament. The 27-year-old will be eager to emulate his 2020 run at the event which saw him lift the title.

Earlier this week, Andrey Rublev spoke to Eurosport about a variety of topics, which included the several junctures in his career where he wasn't in good spirits on the court. In these moments, the World No. 10 would tend to inflict harm on himself. However, looking back now, he acted impulsively by his own admission back then without "thinking about the consequences".

"When you can't handle the excess stress and adrenaline and everything overflows. That's the worst. In those moments, you don't see anything, you don't hear anything, you don't even think about the consequences of all that. Even if you hurt yourself, you don't take it into account. And then, five minutes later, you realize what you've done. And then, really, you feel really bad."

He added that having an on-court meltdown wasn't perhaps appropriate, as it came in the way of fans' entertainment.

"Especially since, sometimes, the people around you don't really care about how you feel," he said. "They come to have fun, to have a good time, they have enough problems at home and they watch a 'drama' when they just come to disconnect. Really, I feel really bad every time."

Andrey Rublev on the best on-court feeling: "When you are in the zone"

Andrey Rublev is looking to go all the way in Doha this week (Source: Getty Images)

Despite his tendency to self-harm on-court, Andrey Rublev has displayed supreme mental strength on the ATP Tour over the last few years. He has occupied the highest echelon of men's tennis since first breaking into the top 10 rankings. In that context, there have been several high points in his career as well.

Rublev also spoke about some of the "best feelings" he has felt on-court during his interaction with Eurosport. The Russian admittedly feels "100% connected to the moment" when his game is freely flowing.