Andrey Rublev’s knee starts bleeding as he hits himself in frustration, Serena Williams’ ex-coach fires shots

The Russian squandered a 5-2 lead in the first set.

Andrey Rublev’s knee starts bleeding as he hits himself in frustration, Serena Williams’ ex-coach fires shots

Andrey Rublev and his knee (Via X/Relevant Tennis)

In a clash of top seeds, World No.4 Jannik Sinner edged past World No.5 Andrey Rublev in the semi-final of ATP 500 Vienna Open on Saturday. Sinner, 2nd seed, defeated the 3rd seeded Russian 7-5, 7-6(5) to book a final clash against Daniil Medvedev on Sunday. The Italian, looking forward to winning his 10th tour-level title, will be making his 6th final appearance of the year. With the win, Sinner has improved his year win-loss record to 55-14.

The Italian made a huge comeback in the first set as he came back from 2-5 down to take the set 7-5. A visibly frustrated Rublev let the emotions get the better of him as he smashed the racquet against his knee after failing to capitalise on the strong start.

YouTube video

The racquet left its mark on the Russian’s body as the cameras showed a bruise on his knee.

FS Video

Reacting to Rublev’s fit of rage, Serena Williams‘ ex-coach Rennae Stubbs wrote on social media site ‘X’: 

I love Andrey Rublev but man when he loses his mind  …. I would definitely NOT pick him for my poker team. Jannik Sinner on the other hand! Just nails and calm AF!
Rennae Stubbs on X

This isn’t the first time Rublev has lost his cool, in his career or this month even, as in the final clash of Shanghai Masters the Russian’s disappointment at missing out on a significant win was evident as he violently smashed the racquet on his leg after crashing a forehand into the net, handing Hubert Hurkacz the title.

Jannik Sinner breaks Italian record after beating Andrey Rublev as he awaits Daniil Medvedev in the final

World no.4 Jannik Sinner got his 55th win of the 2023 season breaking Corrado Barazzutti‘s record for most most wins by an Italian player in a single season in the Open era. Corrado won 54 tour-level matches in 1978.

Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev
Jannik Sinner alongside Daniil Medvedev at the China Open trophy presentation ceremony (Credit: AP)

Awaiting Sinner in the final is a familiar foe in World No.3 Daniil Medvedev. The Russian no.1 defeated 4th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to set up the summit clash on Sunday in defence of his title. The pair recently faced in the final of the China Open where the young Italian got better of Medvedev for the first time in his seventh try.

This will be the 4th final clash of the year between the pair after Rotterdam, Miami and Beijing.

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