Tennis star Andrey Rublev was left with a blood stain after an act of self-harm on the court during a match at the 2024 Paris Masters.
The Russian word No.7 started smashing his own racket into his knee during his second-round defeat to unseeded Argentine Francisco Cerundolo on Tuesday.
Rublev, who performed a similar act at Wimbledon, hit himself so much that his knee started bleeding as Cerundolo went on to win the battle in straight sets.
The incident occurred in the third game of the second set when Rublev sent a forehand into the net, as he hammered his racket into his left knee seven times.
Rublev was also seen picking up a water bottle and throwing it at the ground during a break between games and he furiously told the crowd to ‘shut up’ too.
Tennis fans have expressed concerns over Rublev’s mental health after the match, including @ReichelRadio, who posted on X: ‘Can somebody get Rublev some mental help? A mental coach? Therapy? Something? This is getting out of hand.’
Rublev’s frustrations are likely related to the race to book a spot at the prestigious year-ending ATP Finals – given he held the eighth and final qualifying place – and could be overtaken by rivals.
Speaking ahead of the Paris Masters, Rublev admitted that he was guilty of checking his rivals’ results.
‘I’ve been constantly analysing what could happen, watching who my opponents play against and things like that,’ Rublev told Ziggo Sport.
Rublev, born in Moscow, has clinched 16 career titles on the ATP Tour to date and has reached at least the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slam tournaments.
The 26-year-old made international headlines in 2022 when he wrote ‘no war please’ on a camera lens just days after Russia invaded Ukraine.
His on-court behaviour – such as smashing himself with a racket – has been a theme for a while and speaking at Wimbledon this year, Rublev said: I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to let emotions out. But thanks. Everything is fine.’
Asked if he would go back and watch the video of his self-harm act at Wimbledon– which went viral– Rublev added: ‘I don’t watch those kind of videos. It’s not only about watching the videos. In general it’s about trying to improve yourself. It’s a process and it takes time.’