Rublev Calls on ATP to Review Rule That Led to Default in Dubai 

Russia's Andrey Rublev argues with an official after he was defaulted against Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan after their semi-final match at the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship in Dubai on March 1, 2024. (AFP)
Russia's Andrey Rublev argues with an official after he was defaulted against Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan after their semi-final match at the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship in Dubai on March 1, 2024. (AFP)
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Rublev Calls on ATP to Review Rule That Led to Default in Dubai 

Russia's Andrey Rublev argues with an official after he was defaulted against Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan after their semi-final match at the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship in Dubai on March 1, 2024. (AFP)
Russia's Andrey Rublev argues with an official after he was defaulted against Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan after their semi-final match at the ATP Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship in Dubai on March 1, 2024. (AFP)

Andrey Rublev has called on the ATP Tour to change the rule that led to him being defaulted at the Dubai Tennis Championships last week.

Rublev was defaulted by the chair umpire after a Russian-speaking official said he had used an obscenity while yelling at a line judge over a call during his semi-final with Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik on Friday.

Rublev denied the accusation and urged the officials to review video of the incident, a request which was rejected.

Bublik was ahead 6-7(4) 7-6(5) 6-5 when he was awarded the win but world number five Rublev later successfully appealed the decision and will retain the ranking points and prize money he earned, barring a fine of $36,400 for a code violation.

In a post on Instagram, Rublev thanked the appeals committee but said the rules needed a rethink.

"I hope that in the future, the ATP will take a closer look at this rule and make changes to it, so that an official can't force a match outcome without having clear evidence and not letting the player have a video review," Rublev said.

Reuters has contacted the ATP for comment.

"While I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to finish my semi-final in Dubai, I am grateful for all the support I had from you the last two days, I received a lot of messages," Rublev added.



‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
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‘Flooding Rains’ Threaten to Dampen Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)
Paris 2024 Olympics - Opening Ceremony - Paris, France - July 26, 2024. Spectators are seen behind the Eiffel Tower ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. (Reuters)

The Paris Olympics look likely to get off to a soggy start.

Meteo-France, the French weather service, is predicting “flooding rains” Friday evening when the opening ceremony is set to unroll along the Seine River. But the show is set to go on as planned, starting at 1:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CEST and should last more than three hours.

Already in the late afternoon, skies were gray with intermittent drizzle. There was a silver lining, though, with temperatures expected to stay relatively warm throughout the evening.

Instead of a traditional march into a stadium, about 6,800 athletes will parade on more than 90 boats on the Seine River for 6 kilometers (3.7 miles). Though 10,700 athletes are expected to compete at these Olympics, hundreds of soccer players are based outside Paris, surfers are in Tahiti and many have yet to arrive for their events in the second week, organizers said Thursday.

Hundreds of thousands of people, including 320,000 paying and invited ticket-holders, are expected to line the Seine’s banks as athletes are paraded along the river on boats.