Andrey Rublev explains what led to him giving the ‘Finger’ to Jannik Sinner’s fans at the 2022 French Open
Follow Us
Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev (Image Credit: SportCo)
The audience sometimes agitates the players and can disturb their confidence and focus. Every player has different ways to deal with this conundrum. Players such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal often smiled and move ahead with their play. But some players can hurt the spectators with their speech or action in the stadium.
Andrey Rublev is known for his outspoken manners on and off the court. He had gotten himself into a lot of ugly controversies during this season with his behavior. However, a certain incident during the 2022 French Open match caught everyone’s attention.
He showed his middle finger to the spectators when a section of spectators called him “Sinner”. They confused him with the Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner. However, the Russian tried hard to explain to them he was not him. But the spectators refused to budge. This provoked him, which resulted in a controversy.
“I get confused with many on tour: Shapo, Tsitsipas, Zverev, Sinner. At RG some Italian fans called me Sinner! Sinner! I told them I’m not him. They said: you lie, can we take a pic? I told them I’m not him and to get lost. They became aggressive and I showed them the finger,” he said in an interview given to a Russian media channel.
The World No.8 reached the Quarter-finals round of the 2022 French Open but lost to Marin Cilic.
Andrey Rublev spoke against Wimbledon ban
Andrey Rublev is very vocal against his country’s invasion of Ukraine. He wrote on the camera lens after winning his semi-final clash against Jiri Vesely “No War Please” just a few days after the Russia-Ukraine war had started in Dubai. This action was covered widely by the international media. However, this empathy could not save him from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club’s move of banning the Russian and Belarusian players from this year’s Wimbledon.
With a single action, All top Russian and Belarusian players including himself, Daniil Medvedev, Aryna Sabalenka, Karen Khachanov, Daria Kasatkina, and Victoria Azarenka, amongst others were banned from playing at Wimbledon. The Russian and Belarusian players tried to give options to the British Government, the ATP, and WTA to resolve the situation but the UK Government did not budge. As a result, both ATP and WTA slapped fines against British Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
In an interview, given a few months back, World No.8 criticized the UK Government for not giving the Russian and Belarusian players a chance to find an amicable solution.
“We were very honest, giving them a lot of options, many ways to help. We want to come back and play, but they are not interested. They don’t want to help. Probably they proved that for them it’s all about politics We had a meeting with the Grand Slams and the ATP. It’s really good that ATP is more open to help everyone. We were very honest, giving a lot of options, many ways to help,” he said.
“The government of England probably proved that for them is all about politics. They are showing that politics is more important than peace. We can show a strong message, at least for one time, that sport can be separated from political issues. Could be a good start. I know that’s difficult, because they will always use sport to manipulate politics,” he continued.
Andrey Rublev will start his 2023 season by participating in the Adelaide International tournament. This tournament will be played between the 1st and 8th of January.
Stay Updated!
FS Desk
(8023 Articles Published)