Tennis News: Andrey Rublev, Danielle Collins and Naomi Osaka

Andrey Rublev is a different player than he is a person many times. On the court, he can easily lose control and suffer emotional meltdowns that cause him harm. Somehow he comes across as needing a huge hug even though the volatility of his anger can be unsettling. Off the court, he seems like a very likable person who you might enjoy a pint with.

During his run at the Canadian Open this year, Rublev spoke with the press about his explosiveness on the court. He understands that he can not control his temper, but he doesn't seem to understand how to deal with that. Maybe the issue isn't logical. For many of us, that is not the case.

Rublev got very real about his issue. He doesn't owe the press or tennis fans an apology or even a reason for his problems. The only person he needs to be OK with is himself.

Andrey Rublev gets real, Danielle Collins talks her injury, and Naomi Osaka loses out

Rublev told the press, "Mentally I was out of order...I start to burn out because I was struggling for many years with depression, with many things outside of the court. I guess this year it's when I couldn't handle it anymore, and it starts to just explode. It start to explode more and more on the court because in life I was able to stay calm, but inside the court, I was burning everything. In the end, yeah, I was struggling."

That's real honesty. The most important part is that Rublev finds peace for himself, of course.

Speaking of finding peace, Danielle Collins did that earlier in 2024 when she decided that after years of playing in pain due to non-tennis-related problems, she did not want to continue playing the sport professionally after this year. She has coincidentally had the best year of her career.

Unfortunately, Collins is not currently playing because of an abdominal strain and there is no real timeline for her return. She's dealt with the same injury before so at least she knows what to expect. Her time on tour is running short, however, so missing any tournaments is one less event she is able to play before her career ends.

Collins said on social media, "Little update for all who have been reaching out and checking in on me since my injury at the Olympics. After having a heat stroke in Paris, I strained my rectus abdominis. I had a similar injury to this area almost four years ago that kept me from competing for over four months...My hope is to return to competition in Monterey. I’m hoping to continue with my season after US Open and continue to try and go after the goals I set out for this year."

Naomi Osaka is also hoping to play and play well at the US Open. She won't be part of the main draw at the Cincinnati Open, though. She lost in the last round of qualifying - Osaka's ranking is not high enough to get her automatically into the draw. She did play well enough against Iga Swiatek at the French Open to give her hope for a brighter future.

The truth is that a healthy Osaka is good for tennis. She appears good to play, but her results have not been what she would have hoped. All it takes is a deep run at the US Open to change all of that, though.

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