"What's wrong with getting heated?": Jimmy Connors fumes over criticism surrounding Andrey Rublev's default drama in Dubai

Jimmy Connors has sympathised with Andrey Rublev's default controversy at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. Rublev was disqualified from the tournament in the semi finals after allegedly swearing in the face of a line judge following a subjective call.

Speaking on the podcast Advantage Connors alongside his son Brett, Connors spoke about the situation, saying he didn't see anything wrong with Rublev's behaviour. "What's wrong with getting heated? What's wrong with that, you're putting everything that you have into what you're doing, you know, which is trying to win a tennis match against an opponent who's trying to kick your a** at the same time," he said.

"What's wrong with feeling that? And understanding that? And wanting more from yourself and understanding you're out there breaking your a**, and trying to give everything that you have?"

The 71-year-old also discussed what the behaviour was like on the court whilst he was playing, finding comparisons between the past and the present in Rublev's case. "They all knew what a good day's work meant to them.

"So why wouldn't that mean just as much to Andrey Rublev, who's out there spending three and a half hours trying to get through a match, and then that happens." Rublev has had his prize money and rankings points reinstated after initially being denied them as a result of his default.