Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev generated a strong reaction on social media after declining a live television interview during a US Open mixed doubles match. The incident occurred Wednesday night as Rublev and his partner, Mirra Andreeva, were playing against Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik.
ESPN had introduced brief on-court interviews during breaks in play for the mixed doubles tournament, aiming to innovate its coverage. Analyst Sam Querrey approached Rublev and Andreeva to conduct one of these interviews. In a video clip that gained traction online, Querrey can be seen addressing Andreeva, but Rublev can be seen shaking his head and then directly facing Querrey. Querrey, appearing surprised, responded, "No questions? Sorry, sorry. Okay, good luck," before backing away.
Fans were divided by Rublev's actions. Some defended his decision, citing the high emotions during a competitive match. "I can understand Rublev here. During the match the emotions are too high," one user commented. Another wrote, "Rublev is a serious player on court. He's not a circus clown." Others criticized the player, with one commenter calling the act "weird."
Reports indicated that Rublev later apologized to Querrey after the match, with the former professional reportedly responding, "Don't worry about it."
It remains unclear whether players are mandated to participate in these mid-match interviews. The ITF's Grand Slam rulebook does not appear to have an official ruling on the matter. Linda Schultz, ESPN vice president of production, had previously described the initiative as "great access" and stated that interviews would be limited to one or two questions at the end of a set to avoid hindering competition. She also noted plans to gradually increase interview length as all parties became more comfortable.
Rublev and Andreeva ultimately lost their mixed doubles match.
