Rublev’s fellow Russian Daria Kasatkina, ranked 12th in the women’s rankings, was devastated for her compatriot, describing the decision as a “joke”. She wrote on X: “So you can just default a player, take his points and money away, without even checking a video replay? What a joke, another confirmation we need a VAR in tennis and electronic line calling on all tournaments.”

Bublik was also in the firing line of the officials during the match, receiving a code violation after smashing his racquet earlier in the contest. He believes the officials made the correct decision after Rublev’s outburst, but he had some sympathy for his opponent.

“I highly doubt Andrey said something crazy, he’s not this kind of guy. But I guess that’s the rules. That’s what they did, they just follow the procedure,” Bublik said. “There’s not much to say. With all due respect, it was a great match and both of us deserved to win.