After Andrey Rublev‘s default at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships, it sparked reactions from the tennis world, including responses from his colleagues Nick Kyrgios, Adrian Mannarino and Reilly Opelka
The Russian tennis player was facing Aleksandr Bublik in a highly competitive semi-final at the Dubai Open. Rublev had taken the lead in the first set, but Bublik managed to push it to the decisive set, where it seemed that another tie-break was on the horizon.
The match seemed destined for yet another tie-break with the score at 5-5 and Bublik serving. A narrowly missed forehand gave the game to the Kazakh, who took a 6-5 lead. This prompted Rublev’s frustration, leading him to shout at a line judge for what he perceived as a refereeing mistake.
Another official, fluent in Russian, informed the chair umpire that Rublev had sworn in his native language, although Rublev denied it: “I was talking to him in English,” he said. Umpire Miram Bley defaulted Rublev, and as the hours passed, several of his colleagues expressed their support for the 2023 Monte-Carlo champion.
Adrian Mannarino drew a comparison with John McEnroe, suggesting that the American would have been disqualified many times if the same criteria were applied. Similarly, Nick Kyrgios commended Bublik for expressing his desire to continue with the match.
“Omg coming out to snitch! Not sure how many matches Mc Enroe would finish in 2024,” Mannarino wrote.
“Class from Bublik, saying he wanted to continue. Respect. Feel for Rublev. Did not warrant a default,” Kyrgios wrote.
Even Reilly Opelka expressed on Instagram: “Bush league… the linesman should get demoted to pickleball asap; That ref’s a f****** moron.”
Omg coming out to snitch 🤦🏻♂️! Not sure how many matches Mc Enroe would finish in 2024 pic.twitter.com/Bo6GFo30lY
— Adrian Mannarino (@AdrianMannarino) March 1, 2024