Andrey Rublev says he hit his leg repeatedly with his racket because if it did so on the ground it would have gotten him a fine at Wimbledon.

The Russian world No.6 crashed out in the first round on Tuesday after losing 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6, to Francisco Comesana. It is the first time he has lost his opening match at a major event since the 2021 French Open and is now set to slip down the rankings after his latest defeat.

However, the most concerning thing for Rublev might be what happened during his match. Out of anger, he repeatedly smashed his racket against his leg which eventually drew blood. Something the fiery Russian has done before and he has earned a reputation for his outbursts on court. One of which got him defaulted from the Dubai Tennis Championships earlier this year. 

“It is the main problem I need to improve,” Rublev said of his behaviour.
“Of course, I didn’t behave as in Paris, but I could still do much better. This is not the way.”
“The main priority is to be positive during all of the match.”

Admitting he was ‘a bit lucky’ to not cause any harm to himself, Rublev explained that he felt compelled to do what he did in order to let his emotions out.

“I would not do it if I was able to hit the racquet on the floor. Because we’re not allowed to hit the grass. I don’t know why at that moment, I couldn’t take it any more. I needed to let my emotions out.” He said.

Asked if he watched videos of himself getting frustrated on the court, Rublev said he doesn’t before adding it takes “process and time” to improve. 

Last summer a study by Anglia Ruskin University found that some people have a natural advantage when it comes to endurance training based on their genetics. 

In an eight-week study on 45 participants in the UK aged between 20 and 40, they found 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms which were directly associated with endurance improvements. SNPs explain how a genetic sequence or a single gene can vary from person to person or population to population. Their findings follow up on a separate study which claims up to 44% of a person’s endurance response is down to genetics.

Given these findings, Ubitennis was keen to know what one of the world’s best tennis players who has a sporting family think about this topic. Sebastian Korda is currently ranked 21st in the world and has one ATP title to his name. He is the son of former Australian Open champion Petr Korda and former WTA top 30 player Regina Rajchrtova. Meanwhile, his sisters, Jessica and Nelly, are pro golfers on LPGA Tour.

“I don’t think it really has anything to do with it,” Korda said at Wimbledon on Tuesday.
“My parents did all they could do to allow us to have the opportunity to play professional sports and we’re all very grateful for that.
“It definitely helps when you have athletes in your family, they can help you in certain situations.
“But at the end of the day, you gotta work hard and you gotta wank to improve every day. Those are the keys for any athlete in the world.”

Korda’s Wimbledon journey came to an abrupt end in the first round where he suffered a shock 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 7-6(6), 6-7(4), 6-3, loss to big-serving Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard who hit an incredible 51 aces during the five-set thriller. It is a bitter pill for the American to swallow after he impressed on the grass in the warm-up events. Reaching the final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch and then the semi-finals in Queen’s.

“I wasn’t surprised,” Korda replied when asked about his opponent’s high level of tennis.
“I thought it wasn’t going to be as good as that, but I knew he was an unbelievable server. I’ve watched some videos of him. I watched him when he won his title in Lyon at the French a little bit. 
“I’m sure he’s only going to get better for the years to come and I wish him all the best.”

As for the near future, a disappointed Korda was unsure when asked if he might now take a brief break from the sport. 

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do right now. It’s too, too soon to know what’s going on.” He concluded. 

It is the first time the 23-year-old has lost in the first round at Wimbledon since 2019. 

Novak Djokovic has dispelled fears his recent injury setback could hinder his title chances at Wimbledon by producing a solid first round win.

The seven-time champion eased to a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2, win over qualifier Vit Kopriva, who was making his main draw debut at the age of 27. Djokovic’s relentless defensive skills and powerful ball striking proved too much for his opponent with the Serbian producing a total of 32 winners against 16 unforced errors.

Coming into the Wimbledon, Djokovic had to overcome a stern physical challenge. Whilst playing in the fourth round at the French Open, he tore the medial meniscus in his right knee and subsequently underwent surgery to address the problem. Despite this, he managed to stage a rapid recovery and showed no sign of discomfort through his 118-minute clash with Kopriva.

“I was pleased with how I felt on the court. I didn’t know how everything would unfold. Practice sessions are quite different to matches, so I’m extremely glad with how I felt and played today,” Djokovic said during his on-court interview.
“I tried to really focus on my game and not think about the knee. Everything I could possibly do, I’ve done in the last three and a half weeks to give myself a chance to play.
“If it was for any other tournament, I wouldn’t have risked it or rushed it as much. I just love Wimbledon.”

There were moments when the 24-time Grand Slam winner was put through his paces during some lengthy exchanges but he managed to come out on top in the majority of them. Even though Kopriva was giving all he had. The Czech was taking on a top-10 player for only the second time in his career and the first since 2021.

“I’ve been fortunate comparing myself to other 37 year olds. I had injuries like anybody else but they come and go.” He reflected on his physical challenges.
“It’s part of what you do. You just have to accept it and embrace it. I think Nick Kyrgios is in the commentary box. He’s been struggling a lot with injuries. Talking about major injuries, he’s had a few.
“I’ve been very fortunate to not be away from tennis for long. As an athlete I empathize with Nick and anyone who’s struggling. You almost feel helpless at times that something isn’t allowing you to come back to what you love most and you’re unable to do your profession for years.”

Djokovic has now registered a record 371 wins in major events so far in his career and is 19-0 in first round matches played at SW19. Should he go on to win the title this year, he will draw level with Roger Federer for most men’s titles won at the event.

In the second round on Thursday, he will play either British wild card Jacob Fearnley or Spanish qualifier Alejandro Moro Canas.