Andrey Rublev admits his mental stress, smiles at Kyrgios offer

We all saw it, right? During the ATP Finals, Andrey Rublev had a complete meltdown after losing a point and began banging his racket against his leg so hard that he caused his knee to start bleeding. The match wasn’t stopped so that the wound could be fixed. Rublev had hurt himself.

Too many times during Rublev’s career he has allowed his emotions to get the better of him. This clearly signifies some greater issue with his mental ability to think through matches while keeping himself poised. He has the skills to be a multi-time Grand Slam winner and a consistent top-five player. No one is capable of hitting a ball with pace and placement better than Rublev.

But there is also a reason he has never managed to get past the quarterfinals in a Grand Slam event, and the problem isn’t raw physical ability. One can safely assume that when the pressure ramps up late in majors, Rublev cannot stop thinking and simply play. He beats himself as much as he gets beaten by other players.

Andrey Rublev is capable of greatness with some help

But ahead of this weekend’s Ultimate Tennis Showdown, Rublev said in a press conference that he has begun working with a mental health coach to help him resolve his issues. Rublev said, “There are many things in life that are stressing us out and make us very angry. You can practice how to be calm when you want to explode everything. Then my coach has the psychology lessons.”

The other part of this is that off the court, Rublev appears to be one of the funniest and most personable players on tour. One can also assume that a night hanging out with Rublev and his great friend, Daniil Medvedev, would be a lot of fun. But then we watch Rublev suffer mentally on the court and we feel sorry for him.

Even Nick Kyrgios, also known for on-court outbursts, offered in November to help Andrey Rublev. Kyrgios said he would fly to wherever Rublev was to help him through a match or tournament in an attempt to control his temper. Rublev said the offer made him smile, but that he pass on it for now.

Personally, I would love Andrey Rublev to be an even greater success. He’s got a brilliant game and is exciting to watch. But also, at times, he just seems to need an on-court hug from a close friend or family member to get him through.