Andrey Rublev isn’t a fan of being regulated on how he talks to himself on the court.
The world No. 15 Russian tennis player received a $3,000 fine for using foul language during his second-round match at the U.S Open this week.
Before punching his ticket into the round of 16 on Saturday, he weighed in on whether the fine for cursing is fair across the sport.
“Depends. Depends on the situation. When you are talking to yourself in a bad way, it’s my decision how I do it,” Rublev said. “You cannot, in my opinion, you cannot charge for this. If you talk to the referee or umpire with bad words, yes, like when you do it towards someone or you scream on all courts, yes, obviously. But when you talk to yourself, it’s your decision how you talk. It doesn’t matter even if the umpire hears what you are saying or not for this. I don’t think so.
“At the end of the day, in all the sports, it’s normal. It doesn’t matter what sport you take, in the crucial moments, it happens. It’s sports. It’s life. The same with every person outside in life in crucial moments, in stressful moments. I don’t believe all of us are super holy and never say bad words in the crucial moments. It’s the same thing…like I said if you doing it towards someone or you’re doing it too much openly, yes, but with yourself, it’s your decision how you talk.”
With the punishment, Rublev joins his close friend Daniil Medvedev in the fines so far in the year’s final Grand Slam tournament.
The fellow Russian was fined $42,500 for his on-court crash out after a photographer — whose media credential was later revoked — interrupted play during his first-round loss against Benjamin Bonzi.
In the aftermath, Rublev, who is also the godfather to Medvedev’s children, offered support to his friend.
“If he wants to change and needs help he has me, a lot of other friends and family that will help him,” he said. “But it’s his life and his decision what he needs to do. Only he knows what is happening. I think he needs to take some time because it was a tough loss for him, but I will text him. The year he’s had in the slams has not been easy for him.”
Rublev has also had his fair share of meltdowns on tour and has previously been open about working with a psychologist on his mental health because of it.
After dropping a first set during a 2022 Roland Garros match, Rublev spiked the ball against a courtside chair that bounced off the court and took the hat off the head of a nearby groundsman. He received an $8,000 fine for the outburst.
A year ago at Wimbledon during what would be a first-round exit, he repeatedly hit himself with his racket to the point of drawing blood.
Rublev will play Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth-round on Monday after the Canadian upset Alexander Zverev on Saturday night.
