Andrey Rublev is known to possess one of the most powerful groundstrokes on the tour. His style of play is considered ruthless and unconventional. Rublev always takes risks, especially on the forehand side. He has been following the same kind of style since the beginning. He last played at the Paris Masters and lost in the semifinal. During the match, fans noticed another unconventional style from Rublev during a changeover.
The Russian player lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinal. Djokovic lost the first set but came back to take the next two. But it was a mismatch incident that was deemed peculiar by the fans. Rublev was seen peeling a banana from the bottom before eating it. “Peel. You don’t “open” bananas,” commented a fan after watching the video.
Peel. You dont “open” bananas.
— Laura B 💯+ (@avasbar20) November 4, 2023
lol I thought I was doing it wrong all my life 😭😭🤣🤣🙌🏻
— Mayank Arora (@moondaawg) November 4, 2023
While most of the fans did not agree with Rublev’s style, some of the fans agreed with his way of eating a banana. One fan commented, “That’s actually the proper way,” and decided that it was the right way to eat.
That’s actually the proper way
— AxonRey (@Axonrey) November 4, 2023
The banana did give Rublev enough energy to trouble Djokovic in the match. But the Serbian came through eventually to reach the final and win the title. Rublev, meanwhile, was playing at the Paris Masters for the sixth time and reached the last four for the first time. It was his fourth straight loss to Djokovic on the tour.
Andrey Rublev not looking forward to playing against Novak Djokovic again
The past few months have seen Djokovic winning title after title. He is currently on an 18-match winning streak and has broken down the confidence of his opponents. It is not the serve or the sliding backhand but the resilience that players are unable to handle. At the Paris Masters, Rublev was looking to cause a significant upset but failed to dominate after taking the opening set.
The world No.5 had lost to Djokovic in the Wimbledon quarterfinals after taking the first set. Rublev’s hope immediately turned into despair in the later stages of the match. At the start of the season, Rublev had lost to the world No.1 in straight sets. Now, after his loss in Paris, Rublev said that he does not want to play Djokovic again on the tour.
The 26-year-old has a chance of playing against Djokovic in Turin at the Nitto ATP Finals. They have already faced each other twice at the event in which Djokovic won in straight sets. Rublev has won a single match in their six career meetings so far. The 36-year-old will try to break down the players further next week. Rublev will aim to break out of his losing streak against Djokovic.