'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAFAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAFQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQP/2gAMAwEAAhADEAAAAJnMS7//xAAgEAACAQMEAwAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgQDERIABQYyFEFS/9oACAEBAAE/AOIcqkzdq3CnJjRS+PjjCkqUyjW7KBdun1qRNeRIq1jcGoxe2Z96/8QAFxEBAAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgAEEv/aAAgBAgEBPwCuCmtT/8QAGBEBAAMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgABEiH/2gAIAQMBAT8ASsA45P/Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Nick Kyrgios siding with Andrey Rublev after the Russian's outburst at the line judge during the Dubai Tennis Championships has left fans angry.
In his semifinal match against Alexander Bublik in Dubai, a return made by the Kazakh landed very close to the line but there was no call. A few shots later, a return made by Rublev was called out which led to Bublik holding serve in the deciding set.
As soon as the point ended, the World No. 5 went towards the line judge and in a fit of rage, screamed at him, asking him how he failed to see that the ball hit by the Kazakh had landed out. A few moments later, another line judge who spoke Russian claimed that Rublev had called the line judge a "f***ing moron" during his outburst.
Trending
Rublev's constant pleas claiming that he wasn't even talking in Russian fell on deaf ears, as the Russian was defaulted and is set to lose the prize money and points he had earned during the event.
Nick Kyrgios, who is also known for his frequent outbursts on the court, took to X (Formerly Twitter) to express his support towards Rublev.
"Class from Bublik, saying he wanted to continue. Respect. Feel for Rublev. Did not warrant a default."
Fans, however, didn't seem to share Kyrgios' beliefs, with one of them possibly alluding to the time when Serena Williams was defaulted for shouting at a lineswoman at the 2009 US Open.
"Serena has been defaulted for less or similar so why shouldn’t Rublev"
"I mean ur used to screaming at officials so ofc you would say that , but he did deserve that default , that’s honestly worse than u ever did to an official , he literally went up to his face and was screaming , especially man to man that’s crossing a line," Another fan chimed in.
Many fans expressed their disapproval of what Kyrgios had to say:
Andrey Rublev will next play in Indian Wells
Despite a tough end to his campaign at the Dubai Tennis Championships, Andrey Rublev will look to shake the incident off as he gears up for the upcoming Indian Wells Masters. The Russian, currently the World No. 5, will fall in rankings due to losing all the points he earned this week.
The Russian's best performance in Indian Wells was in 2022, where he lost to eventual champion Taylor Fritz in the semifinals, while in 2023, he fell to Cameron Norrie in the fourth round.
Andrey Rublev has one Masters 1000 title which came in Monte Carlo last year.
