Andrey Rublev, harsh attack on Rome tournament

A case broke out after the start of the Internazionali d’Italia: one of the most prominent tennis players, Andrey Rublev, complained in the Russian media Championat about the condition of the clay courts at the Foro Olimpico in Rome.

The Moscow-based tennis player launched clear barbs: “Well, the courts here have always been like this. It’s always the same story after any routine bounce, and it’s always been like that. It would be surprising to be surprised by it coming here. I don’t know if the rebounds were good at one point and then they got worse…but if they’ve always been like that, I don’t really understand the point of the question.”

“These courts don’t look anything like Paris courts,” Rublev pressed. “I played in Paris for years, and everything is much more slippery there, there’s little sand, especially on the outer courts. Even in Paris things have changed, since the pandemic the courts are not the same, it doesn’t even feel like clay anymore.”

Courts aside, Rublev is instead fascinated by the city of Rome: “It’s beautiful, I love it. As a tourist it is wonderful to walk here, you can find all the history in every corner. You have to come here at least once in your life; last year, I was eliminated early and I took the opportunity to go on excursions for a couple of days. There are so many things to see and do here in Rome; every place has a special story to tell.”

In terms of recent performance, the Russian comes to Rome with an up and down performance: after reaching the semifinals of the Barcelona tournament, he went straight out of the Madrid Masters 1000 and even in Monte Carlo he has come up short. The player is working to climb steadily back into the Top 10 after last season’s difficulties. Clay remains the surface on which Rublev expresses some of his best qualities, and despite the controversy on the Roman courts, his presence at the Foro Italico remains among the most anticipated of the tournament.