- The Wimbledon champion won in straight sets 7-5 6-2 in Italy
- Alcaraz makes his debut in the ATP Finals after missing an injury
- Rublev’s defeats against Daniil Medvedev and the Spaniard make qualification unlikely
Andrei Rublev cut his knee after hitting himself six times with his racket during an outburst of on-court frustration against Carlos Alcaraz during their ATP Finals match.
After being toppled 7-5 in the opening set, the Russian world number 5 became increasingly a pent-up figure as he crashed his racket onto the court after missing a shot to give Alcaraz a break point in the first game of the second.
Missing the ensuing shot and being broken by the Wimbledon champion, the 26-year-old opted to punish himself, bringing the racket down again and again until his kneecap was bloodied.
An emotional Rublev was then attended to by members of his team during the break between matches, and continued to play as the wound continued to weep.
When Rublev fell apart, Alcaraz – who was well-matched in the first set until his final break of service – was able to steamroll away with the victory in their first career meeting in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2.
Andrei Rublev vented his frustration during his ATP Finals clash with Carlos Alcaraz by hitting his racket against his knee six times
The world number five had to continue playing with a bleeding kneecap when he saw the nervous defeat
Rublev had earlier expressed his anger on the court after putting Alcaraz on break point
When Rublev was asked about his knee injury after Wednesday’s match, he was coy in pronouncing it “okay,” adding, “nothing.” Nothing happened.”
But at the press conference after his defeat, the Russian expressed his personal disappointment with his form at the end of the season.
The draw is Rublev’s second in Turin and second defeat after losing to compatriot and close friend Daniil Medvedev 6-4 6-2 in his tournament opener.
“It’s not easy to accept these defeats because I really wanted to end the season well,” Rublev said. ‘Sometimes when things don’t work out, it’s inevitable to be disappointed and today I didn’t know how to deal with it.
‘It doesn’t matter who I play against, I never want to lose, especially now that the season is over and I haven’t been able to show the best of myself in this tournament.
“It’s very disappointing that I couldn’t manage my frustration better,” the player added.
The world number 5 cut a forlorn figure as his team attended to him during the break
Alcaraz looked rusty in the loss to Alexander Zverev, but was back to his best against Rublev
Two defeats on the trot leave the player in last place in his red group, behind Alcaraz in the lead, Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, who Rublev will face in his final round-robin tie.
Before entering the competition, Rublev was knocked out of the Paris Masters by eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
But the world number 1 has had a surprise start to the tournament in Turin – in his green group, Jannik Sinner leads the pack after beating Djokovic for the first time in their mutual history.
The Italian had to work for his win against the US Open champion but went the distance to claim the 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-2) win in just over three hours .