“You went to jail, I don’t think you’re a role model”- Boris Becker brutally humiliated after he roots for Andrey Rublev following the Dubai fiasco

The Russian was returned all of his prize money and ranking points by the ATP, a decision which was welcomed by Becker.

“You went to jail, I don’t think you’re a role model”- Boris Becker brutally humiliated after he roots for Andrey Rublev following the Dubai fiasco

Andrey Rublev and Boris Becker (Images via IMAGO)

Former World No. 1 Boris Becker found himself in the firing line of many fans on social media. The German great had recently commented on the Andrey Rublev controversy that took place last week in Dubai.

The Russian was defaulted from his semi-final clash with Alexander Bublik. The tournament supervisor after confirming with officials found the World No. 5 to be swearing in Russian during his angry meltdown. As a result, for unsportsmanlike conduct, the second seed was defaulted from the event.

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As is the rule with defaults, the player loses all his ranking points and prize money earned at the event. But Rublev had a lucky escape. His appeal to challenge the decision saw the ATP reinstate his points and prize money. This had the fans divided with many criticizing the Tour.

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Many fans accused the ATP of siding with specific players citing Novak Djokovic’s example. A few found a parallel between Rublev’s case with that of Alexander Zverev’s default in Acapulco. Becker was however on the other side believing the default was harsh on Rublev. He defended the 26-year-old while also praising ATP.

Good decision from the committee! Andrey is one of the nicest guys on tour but sometimes his emotions get hold of him on the court …we live and learn!
Tweeted Becker.

Fans berate Boris Becker for siding with Andrey Rublev

The ATP has been under the firing line of fans for their discrepancy in equal treatment. This was the first case when a player was returned his points and prize money despite a default. Rublev had the right to be angry but his manner of expression was entirely wrong.

Andrey Rublev
Andrey Rublev defaulted from the 2024 Dubai Championships (Image via IMAGO)

He could have challenged the call that went against him or could have approached the chair umpire. But screaming in the face of the line judge was unwarranted. But the supervisor also made a harsh call as he relied simply on one official to determine if the player actually swore.

Amid all this, Becker’s reaction triggered many others. As a result, he was targeted by social media users with digs on his prison time and other actions.

https://twitter.com/PeruJoz/status/1764921504809013458

While Rublev did issue a statement at the end, it certainly read as if he did not agree that he deserved to be punished. Fans were further irked by his comment and now with others also showing support, the social media users have not been forgiving in this matter.

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