"Maybe what happened in Dubai stuck in my mind" admits Andrey Rublev after poor form since line judge implosion

Andrey Rublev recalled the incident he experienced at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships when he was disqualified for yelling at a line judge. The Russian tennis player was in the semifinals against Aleksander Bublik and was disqualified near the end of the match with the score 7-6(4), 6-7(5), 5-6.

Until the controversy, Rublev's season had been positive with his 15th title at the ATP 250 Hong Kong Open and his 10th Grand Slam quarterfinals at the Australian Open, however, his exit from Dubai marked the beginning of an irregular period.

In the Sunshine Double, Rublev only won one match in Indian Wells against Andy Murray, but was eliminated by Jiri Lehecka. Later at the Miami Open, he didn't even advance a round, being eliminated by Tomas Machac.

“In Indian Wells I was so focused on trying to control my movements that I was completely stuck. I had no more energy, I didn’t have the strength.

“And in Miami, I exploded. I could no longer control myself, my actions, my nerves. I felt like I was paralyzed, I couldn’t move,” Rublev added. “Maybe what happened in Dubai stuck in my mind.”

The Russian will be this week looking to defend the title of the Monte-Carlo Masters, which he won in 2023 and is so far his only Masters 1000 title. He clinched the trophy after defeating Holger Rune in the final (5-7, 6-2, 7-5): "It’s a pleasure to come back here. It’s always a pleasure to come and play on this magnificent course," he commented.

“I have great memories, even before I won, I had a lot of them and I’m always very happy to come back. During the year I sometimes think about my victory, especially when I watch videos on social media. It makes me feel like I’m there,” Rublev claimed. “But since I arrived, I try not to think about it too much and stay focused on my performance,” he added.

Rublev entered the tournament as the 6th seed and had a bye in the first round, so he is still waiting to know his opponent, who will come from the winner between Alexei Popyrin (No. 46) and a player coming from the qualifying rounds.