Rublev wants ATP to change the rules after his Dubai default

Andrey Rublev is urging the ATP Tour to reconsider the rule that led to his disqualification at the Dubai Tennis Championships last week.

The Russian player was defaulted by the chair umpire following an incident where a Russian-speaking official claimed he had used offensive language while disputing a call with a line judge during his semi-final match against Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik.

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Rublev, denying the allegation, requested officials to review video footage of the incident, but the plea was rejected. Although Bublik was initially awarded the win with a score of 6-7(4) 7-6(5) 6-5, Rublev successfully appealed the decision later. As a result, he will retain the ranking points and prize money earned, with the exception of a $36,400 fine for a code violation.

Expressing gratitude to the appeals committee in an Instagram post, Rublev called for a reevaluation of the rule. He hopes that the ATP will scrutinize and amend the rule to prevent officials from determining match outcomes without clear evidence and to allow players the opportunity for video reviews.