Rublev: "For me, tennis is a matter of life and death, and I have to change that.

© AFP

Clément Gehl

le 18/02/2025 à 08h14

2 min to read

Doha Rublev

Andrey Rublev gave an interview to Eurosport during the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in London last December.

He once again spoke about the emotions he goes through during his matches: "I'm very sensitive, emotional. So I try to control that, to always be in the right frame of mind.

There are so many things that make me feel guilty, really bad on the court. On top of all that, I also have emotional peaks. So I act out.

I know other people who have these problematic behaviors but they manage to move on, to be detached from it.

When I screw up, it kills me little by little because I feel so guilty.

It's really hard for me to control that. For me, tennis is a matter of life and death and I have to change that.

Tennis and life have nothing to do with each other. It's just a sport I have to enjoy, my life doesn't depend on it. I had a life before, I'll have a life after tennis.

When you can't cope with too much stress and adrenaline, and everything spills over, that's the worst.

At times like that, you can't see or hear anything, and you don't even think about the consequences.

Even if you're hurting yourself, you just ignore it. And then, five minutes later, you realize what you've done.

And then, really, you feel really bad. Especially as, sometimes, the people around you don't really care how you feel.

They've come to be entertained, to have a good time, they've got enough problems at home and they're watching a 'drama' when they've just come to switch off.

Really, I feel super bad every time."

Rublev will make his Doha tournament debut this Tuesday against Alexander Bublik.