By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Sunday August 11, 2024

2024 has been a tough season for Andrey Rublev. To say the least.

Since the 26-year-old was suspended for a verbal outburst directed at an on-court official in the Dubai semifinals, the Russian has had a difficult time reining in his emotions, on court.



He did manage to win the Madrid title, but beyond that triumph, he has not quite been himself. He lost in the third round at Roland-Garros, where an outburst during his loss to Matteo Arnaldi became the big story. At Wimbledon he fell to World No.122 Francisoco Comesana in the first round.

Last night’s win over World No.1 Jannik Sinner, Rublev hopes, marks the beginning of an upward trend, both in terms of results and emotionally.

“Mentally I was out of order. I don't know how you can say it,” Rublev said of his last few months on tour.

He continued to open up, hinting that his problems have gone back several years and that depression has played a role.

“I guess it was already a long moment of everything, and I started to burn out because I was struggling for many years with depression, with many things outside of the court,” he said. “I guess this year it's when I couldn't handle it anymore, and it started to just explode. It started to explode more and more on the court because in life I was able to stay calm, but inside the court I was burning everything.

Rublev, who faces Matteo Arnaldi in the semifinals on Sunday in Montreal, is one of those players who has always walked the fine line between chaos and control. He seems to be fueled by his anger, but he crossed the line this year on many occasions and it clearly started to weigh on him.

He’s hoping that this summer will mark the turning of a new page in his career.

“In the end, yeah, I was struggling,” he said. “Now last months I feel really good, and straight away tennis is better.”