Andrei Rublev, the notoriously hot-tempered Russian, smashed his racket over his knee seven times and panicked when he was humiliated by Francisco Comesaña.
The sixth-seeded player’s outburst of anger at Wimbledon after a botched shot caused audible rifts and came two months after he also lost his cool at Roland Garros.
Some viewers were concerned for Rublev’s well-being after he madly smashed his racket into his leg six times, before adding a seventh punch for good measure.
It was an exciting match between the sixth-seeded player and outsider Comesaña on court 2, but the Argentine eventually won 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6.
Rublev’s meltdown came in the fourth game of the third set, with the two players each having won a set. Comesaña broke Rublev for the second time in the set to take a 4-1 lead, prompting a furious response from the Russian after he hit a wild groundstroke.
In May, Rublev was involved in a heated exchange with umpire Lazemar Engzell, during which he slammed his racket on the floor and shouted at his players’ box. Rublev apologized for his behavior at the time, saying, “I can’t remember ever behaving worse at a slam.”
Comesaña, meanwhile, has claimed a major scalp in his first match at a Grand Slam, belying his lack of experience and playing with composure and control from the start. The 23-year-old broke his opponent for a 3-2 lead in the first set and then held on to win, much to the frustration of Rublev, who often shouted and protested at his courtside coaching team.
Rublev broke early in the second set and began to assert himself, often wrong-footing Comesaña or dragging him into long rallies and overwhelming him with powerful forehand shots. Comesaña twice fought back from three set points down in the second set before losing the set.
But the Argentine, who threw a total of 21 aces, effortlessly won the rain-interrupted third set and narrowly defeated Rublev in the fourth set with his cunning and accuracy, eventually drawing an unforced error from the Russian, which allowed him to end the match in style.
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