Andrey Rublev is pushing for a rule change from the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Tour after he was defaulted in Dubai last week.
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REDEMPTION FOR RUBLEV AFTER WINNING APPEAL
Rublev will keep the ranking points and the prize money he earned despite losing his semifinal match against Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan in Dubai last Friday. Bublik led, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-5, when he was awarded the win.
“While I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to finish my semifinal in Dubai, I am grateful for all the support I had from you (fans) the last two days,” Rublev said. “I received a lot of messages.”
While Rublev gets to keep his ATP points and prize money, he also faces a possible $36,000 fine for a code violation.
RUBLEV DENIES YELLING AT JUDGE DURING BUBLIK MATCH
A chair umpire defaulted Rublev after a Russian-speaking official claimed that the 26-year-old Moscow native yelled at a line judge over a call. However, Rublev denies this, and he asked for a review video of the incident that was denied by officials.
An official said Rublev used an obscenity against the line judge while disputing a call. Despite getting denied a video review at the time, Rublev successfully appealed the decision with the ATP.
“The appeals committee concluded that, beyond forfeiting the match, customary penalties associated with a default – namely loss of rankings points and prize money for the entire tournament – would be disproportionate in this case,” the ATP said in a statement on Monday.