“If you’re going to go crazy…,” John McEnroe gives his verdict after Andrey Rublev loses his cool during Roland Garros match

McEnroe urged Rublev to play differently if losing his temper is becoming an obstacle. 

“If you’re going to go crazy…,” John McEnroe gives his verdict after Andrey Rublev loses his cool during Roland Garros match

John McEnroe, Andrey Rublev (Images via Imago, X)

According to John McEnroe, if going crazy during matches doesn’t help Andrey Rublev, then he needs to follow a different plan. The Russian had a meltdown when he failed to come back in the Roland Garros third-round match against unseeded Italian Matteo Arnaldi which he eventually lost 7-6(8-6), 6-2, 6-4. 

McEnroe, a seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, was known for his hot-headedness on courts but believes anger worked for him to win matches. This is the reason why he urged Rublev to play differently if losing his temper is becoming an obstacle. 

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If you’re going to go crazy, you’ve got to know when you’ve got to pull back so you can keep your focus and concentration, and play well. If it’s helping you, which it often did with me, you keep doing it until they say ‘One more and you’re out’. If it’s not helping, you’ve got to go to plan B.
John McEnroe told Eurosport 

In the press conference after the match, Rublev said he got emotional as he was failing to capitalize on the chances. For him, it was his worst behavior at a Grand Slam event.

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John McEnroe once asked to coach Andrey Rublev

Andrey Rublev‘s behavior reminds John McEnroe of the time he flew into rages during his playing years. Seeing Rublev in his teen years, McEnroe’s agent Gary Swain told him to coach World No.6.

Andrey Rublev
Andrey Rublev (Image via Imago)
He’s a guy that wears his emotions on his sleeve. My agent, Gary Swain, when Andrey was 15 or 16, told me ‘You got to coach the guy!’. In some ways, I think he was right. We were cut out for each other.
John McEnroe said 

Because of his outburst, Rublev had to face consequences as he was defaulted for yelling at a line judge in the Dubai Open semifinal against Alexander Bublik this year. After that incident, Rublev went on to lose three consecutive matches and ended his losing streak by winning the Madrid Open with a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 win over Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Prior to the Madrid Open, Rublev lifted his first title of the season by winning the Hong Kong Open and arrived in Paris after a Round of 32 loss in the Italian Open. In his first match in the French capital, Rublev overcame Taro Daniel in four sets and then registered an easy win over Pedro Martinez before Matteo Arnaldi ended his campaign in the third round. 

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