Accused Of Swearing At Linesman In Russian

Andrey Rublev Defaulted from Dubai Semifinal

Accused of Swearing at Linesman in Russian

Updated 1007 AM PDT March 4 2024 LONDON AP

Andrey Rublev will get to keep the ranking points and prize money minus a fine of 36400 from the ATP after he was defaulted from the Dubai Tennis Championships semifinal for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The 26-year-old Russian was playing Alexander Bublik in the semifinals of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships on Friday when he was accused of swearing at a line judge in Russian.

A Russian-speaking official appeared to accuse Rublev of swearing at the line judge. Rublev denied the accusation.

The ATP said in a statement that Rublev was defaulted for "unsportsmanlike conduct" and that he would lose the ranking points and prize money he had earned in the tournament.

"The ATP has a zero-tolerance policy for unsportsmanlike conduct and the decision to default Rublev was made after a thorough review of the incident," the ATP said in a statement.

Rublev is the fifth-ranked player in the world.

The default is the latest in a string of incidents involving unsportsmanlike conduct in tennis.

In January, Nick Kyrgios was fined $20,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct at the Australian Open.

In February, Alexander Zverev was suspended for eight weeks for unsportsmanlike conduct at the Mexican Open.

The ATP has said that it is committed to improving the behavior of players on the tour.

The default is a reminder that players are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times.