"Wasn't very fair or respectful" - Lorenzo Sonego criticizes Andrey Rublev for Moselle Open withdrawal, 'bringing suitcases' to 1r encounter

Andrey Rublev had cut short Lorenzo Sonego’s Moselle Open campaign with a first-round win last week. As it turned out though, the Russian did not stay at the tournament for too long himself as he withdrew (with abdominal pain) after playing another match.

And if Sonego’s words are anything to go by, the short trip was pre-planned. Speaking to Ubitennis.com in a recent interview, the Italian accused his opponent of acting “unfairly”.

Notably, Rublev was still only in contention for the ATP Finals at the start of the Moselle Open. Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal, however, put him above the qualification cut-off. He subsequently withdrew from the Moselle Open.

An upset Sonego said players should respect each other, saying taking away someone’s else spot in the draw for such short-term goals was not “very fair” or “respectful”.

“Andrey Rublev didn’t act very fairly,” Lorenzo Sonego said. “There are people who go to tournaments to play and to try to do well, people who want to advance."

“There were some lucky losers waiting to get in, and he took the spot from a lucky loser; he took away my chance to move forward in the tournament when he already knew he wasn’t going to play. It wasn’t very fair or respectful toward me,” he added.

Sonego further went on to claim that Rublev had stepped out on court with his suitcases packed. Watching him care very little about the tennis and competition, he said, was not a nice feeling.

“Also, his coach had told him he’d be leaving before the match,” Lorenzo Sonego said. “They already knew they were leaving."

“He even showed up on court with his suitcases. It wasn’t a nice thing for us players who maybe put our heart into moving forward in a tournament, while he doesn’t care at all about it,” he added.

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Andrey Rublev opens 2024 ATP finals campaign on losing note

Andrey Rublev has lost his opening match at the ATP Finals. (Source: Getty)

Andrey Rublev opened his 2024 ATP Finals campaign with a loss against Alexander Zverev. The Russian dropped his serve twice to go down in straight sets 6-, 6-4.

He has landed in the John Newcombe Group, with the likes of Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud.

Rublev’s best performance at the ATP Finals came in the year 2022 when he made it to the knock-out rounds. He lost uis semifinal encounter to Casper Ruud.