2 weeks ago
8
Andrey Rublev has vowed to offer his support to Daniil Medvedev if he needs it, after his close friend's on-court meltdown during his US Open first round defeat.
Medvedev was beaten in five sets by Benjamin Bonzi on Sunday night, but drama had ensued when he was match point down in the third set.
With the Frenchman about to hit a second serve, when a photographer tried to change position and wandered on to the court. Umpire Gregory Allensworth gave Bonzi a first serve - then all hell broke loose as Medvedev complained. The New York crowd booed him and Medvedev egged them on to extend the delay to six minutes.
Medvedev is expecting a heavy fine for his behaviour towards American umpire Allensworth. ‘Are you a man? Are you a man?' he said. 'Why are you shaking? What's wrong, huh? Guys, he wants to leave. He gets paid by the match not by the hour.
'What did Reilly Opelka say?’ he added, in a reference to the American player once describing Allensworth as the ‘worst ump on tour’.
After losing in five sets, a disconsolate Medvedev sat on his chair by the court, before smashing the racket multiple times.
Daniil Medvedev has been offered support by Andrey Rublev following his six-minute on court meltdown during his US Open first round defeat
Medvedev was enraged by the umpire's decision to grant rival Benjamin Bonzi a first serve on match point, after a photographer had wandered onto the court
Medvedev's tirade at the umpire and the extended delay led to Boris Becker claiming he should seek 'professional help'
Tennis legend Boris Becker has claimed Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, should seek 'professional help' after the latest meltdown of his career.
Medvedev has received the support of his childhood friend Rublev, who earned a straight sets victory in his first round match on Monday night.
Rublev, who is the godfather to Medvedev's two children, pledged to support the 29-year-old should he require help.
'I don't know, if he wants to change and needs help he has me, a lot of other friends and family that will help him,' Rublev said, as reported by the BBC.
'But it's his life and his decision what he needs to do. Only he knows what is happening.
'I haven't spoke to him yet, 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 [winning only one match] has not been easy for him.'
Rublev and Medvedev had previously reflected on how they had on-court outbursts during their first match at a junior event, whey they were five or six, which had led to the pair becoming close friends.
Rublev has offered to support his childhood friend should he ask for his help
Rublev is the godfather to Medvedev's children, while the latter has spoken in support of his long-term friend during his own mental health struggles
Rublev has been known to have drawn blood after hitting himself with rackets during matches
He has required on court treatment in matches after injuring himself during outbursts
Rublev was last year defaulted from a match after shouting at a line judge over a disputed call
'I remember that he was going crazy after every lost point, just like me,' Medvedev said last year.
'When I saw it, I knew I acted like this, but I was like, 'Who is this guy? What's wrong with him?' That was pretty funny.'
Both players have proved to be hot-headed in their career, with Rublev last year enduring a US Open meltdown of his own, after drawing blood having hit himself on the court with a racket during a match against Grigor Dimitrov.
The 27-year-old had become known for attacking himself on the court during matches, including at Wimbledon, while he was disqualified from the Dubai Tennis Championships following a disputed call last year.
Rublev has since appointed two-time Grand Slam winner Marat Safin to his team - who had had similar struggles during his career - who encouraged him to see a psychologist.
'I was taking anti-depression tablets and it was not helping at all. In the end I said: "I don't want to take anything any more." I stopped all the tablets and Marat Safin helped me a lot with conversation,' Rublev told the Guardian earlier this year.
'He made me realise many things and then I start to work with a psychologist.
'I learn a lot about myself and while I don't feel in a happy mood or the happy place I would like to be I don't feel any more that crazy anxiety and stress of not understanding what to do with my life.'
Rublev revealed he had hit rock bottom last year, before two-time Grand Slam winner Marat Safin, left, encouraged him to seek the help of a psychologist
The 10-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist recently opened up about his mental health in an ATP documentary
Rublev has since featured in an ATP documentary about his mental health journey.
‘Every time I was going on court and things were not going my way, the feeling is like you’re dying. It’s like someone came to murder you,’ Rublev revealed in an ATP documentary titled Breaking Back earlier this year.
‘I still love [tennis], I still want to achieve as much as I can, but in a healthy way, not a struggle way.’
Medvedev had featured in the documentary and admitted he could 'understand' Rublev's emotional outbursts on court.
