“The moment was very emotional”: Rublev explains second-quarter drama against Rune
Andrey Rublev has explained his perspective on the drama that defined his Final Four match against Holger Rune at the UTS Grand Final in London on Sunday
Andrey Rublev UTS Grand Finals – Tennis Majors / UTS
The UTS Grand Final in London saw plenty of drama this weekend, with round-the-post shots, epic comebacks and plenty of sudden death points.
By far the most dramatic moment came at the end of the second quarter in the Final Four clash between Holger “The Viking” Rune and Andrey “Rublo” Rublev, where the Russian threatened to abandon the match after a bonus card debacle saw him lose the quarter.
“It is what it is, the moment was very emotional,” reflected Rublev after the match. “Of course I should maybe react a bit different, but I was disappointed.
“When you run for every point, long rallies, very intense match. The heart rate is very high, and then this situation happens. You feel very disappointed. All your work was for nothing.
“My reaction was not acceptable, I understand this, but in end, it happened what happened.”
What happened in the second quarter of Rublev v Rune?
With Rublev riding a record seven-match winning streak, the world No 5 was heading into his semi-final clash against Rune as the hot favourite.
The Dane put on a strong performance in the first quarter, however, claiming the opening exchange 20-10.
In the second, Rublo was much improved, and the quarter was neck-and-neck heading into the final minute. Behind 10-8, Rublev gestured for his bonus card to be played in an attempt to win three points off the next exchange. Rublev believed the umpire had acknowledged his card, when in reality, it was Rune who the umpire had played the bonus card for.
All hell broke loose when, seconds later at quarter-point, Rublev realised that the point which he had won and believed to be worth three, was in fact only counted as one point.
“The score was 9-8, I remember I missed a backhand at the net so it was 10-8 for Holger,” Rublev explained after the match. “I start to show three–I didn’t say it, but I was showing like three [to the umpire]. And then, the screen was saying ‘bonus card’ so I was thinking it’s my three points.
“So then I won, and in my head I’m 11-10 up, and then I won one more point. So in my head I was 12-10 up, but in reality, it was three points for Rune. He lost it, 10-9, then 10-all and when time was over it was 11-all, not 12-10 up for me. That was the situation.”
The Russian spent the better part of five minutes berating the umpire, tournament organiser Patrick Mouratoglou, and other support staff, begging for a replay to be shown.
“All I was asking was to check it. If he was the first one then I agree, but just check replay,” said Rublev, explaining the difference it would have made. “It was 12-10 for me by the end of the quarter, so I had at least three [quarter points].”
Rune unphased by drama
When asked about his perspective on the event, Rune was reasonably ambivalent.
“I didn’t see if he raised his hand for the card,” the Dane responded. “In the beginning I had no idea what was happening, I thought he was complaining that it turned zero and he hadn’t taken it yet, which happened with Gael yesterday.
“From his point of view, I understand. If he actually did raise his hand and thought it was for him the three plus, that would be frustrating.
“Honestly, I don’t really care. It’s a tennis match, this is away from the tennis match.”
In a bizarre twist, Rublev was allowed to serve twice on quarter-point, after netting his initial serve when he finally returned to play after his on-court theatrics.
Had he won the point, no doubt Rune would have had a meltdown of his own. Thankfully for the sake of time, Rublo lost the rally, conceding the second quarter and going on to have his seven-match winning streak broken as well.
