Andrey Rublev was at the center of a drama at the Monte Carlo Masters that has left the entire tennis community on high alert. The current 2023 champion saw his campaign in the legendary tournament in Monaco thrown into serious doubt after a tough battle against Portuguese player Nuno Borges, marked by a shoulder injury that forced him to rely on a “massive dose” of painkillers to endure the match.
Right at the start of the encounter, Rublev was compelled to call for medical intervention off the court, visibly hindered by pain. But it was after the match that the Russian, with a bitter smile, confessed to the intensity of his suffering: “I don’t know how the body is, because I took a horse dose of painkillers and had a medical timeout. We’ll see in five, six hours, or tomorrow, how the body reacts.” This revelation raises a significant question mark over his physical condition for the upcoming rounds.
Rublev did not hide the fact that the pain appeared much earlier than expected: “To be honest, it started a bit earlier, but I didn’t feel it. When I came back from the break, at 4-3, while serving, I started to feel it.” The tennis player further detailed that “after the first serve, the pain worsened a lot, and after that long rally, I was completely finished.” Nevertheless, the 26-year-old fighter highlighted the mental strength he displayed to not give up: “Today was a mental victory for me. There was a moment when I thought it was all over, but I managed to accept and trust that I could continue, without imagining the worst.”
The Russian’s next opponent will be Zizou Bergs, but uncertainty about Rublev’s physical condition looms, leaving fans anxious. “I managed to finish the first set and, even while losing in the second, suddenly I started to feel better, I fought harder and managed to win,” confessed the tennis player.
This victory represents Rublev’s first triumph in a Masters 1000 in 2026, in a season that has been marked by early exits in Indian Wells and Miami, against Gabriel Diallo and Alejandro Tabilo, respectively. Monte Carlo has been a successful venue for him, notably winning the title in 2023, where he defeated Holger Rune in the final. In 2021, he was a finalist, losing only to Stefanos Tsitsipas, while in 2025 he fell earlier against Arthur Fils.
But the plain truth is that injuries and illnesses have been constant enemies in Rublev’s career. A dramatic episode occurred even after his epic victory at the 2024 Madrid Open, when the player was hospitalized due to a tonsillar abscess that nearly prevented him from breathing.
“I spent two and a half days in the hospital… I had a tonsillar abscess,” Rublev revealed in an interview with Tennis TV. “It was insane, I woke up with my throat swollen, bigger than it should have been, and the area where you breathe was super tight. The pain was extreme.” The illness affected basic functions like breathing and speaking, and the tennis player described the situation as “my throat was a horrible color and the bad breath was indescribable.”
Even so, Rublev remained steadfast in the tournament, hiding his suffering from opponents and the public. “It was hard to endure. Throughout the tournament, I felt worse and worse. As soon as I finished the final, early in the morning, we went to the hospital. After half a day there, I already felt better, but for the next nine days, it was a constant struggle.”
Now, at the Monte Carlo Masters, Andrey Rublev is once again facing pain head-on, armed with unshakeable mental strength and a “huge dose” of painkillers. There is great anticipation to see if he can recover and show the level that has established him as one of the most feared tennis players today. The near future for the Russian will be crucial in determining whether he can continue to dream of more titles or if his battle against injuries will be stronger than his will to win.
This article first appeared on Apito Final.
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