“Equality, kindness, hope”: Andrey Rublev launches Rublo, a clothing brand that’s “not about clothes”

WATCH: New year, same crew: Tennis Channel Live's Steve Weissman, Chandra Rubin and Prakash Amritraj celebrate the start of 2023!

World No. 8 Andrey Rublev is trading the Swoosh logo for a pair of stylized “angel wings” this season, after announcing the launch of his own clothing brand Rublo on Monday.

The Russian player—who had previously been outfitted by Nike since his days as a junior—shared the details of his new business venture, describing Rublo as a clothing brand that’s “not about clothes”.

According to his website, Rublo was created to “drive awareness around equality and kindness” with the hope of “making our world a better place.”

“I know I’m depressive and always have been thinking about life and death for too much, but before my days will end I will keep fighting for what I believe, what I love and who I love,” Rublev shared on social media, along with a video featuring views of Barcelona, his regular training base, and some glimpses of the Rublo logo.

Last year, the Russian made it a point to advocate for peace via messages written on camera lenses—a post-match tradition in tennis—and during interviews. His social media tagline, “Play for the kids, play for the light” will also feature on Rublo items.

“We been working on something important and close to me,” Rublev added. “And we would like to share with you something that can be bigger then just a brand, something that can help people, planet. Something that will be a symbol of hope and kindness.

“It’s gonna be an interesting year and hopefully all together we will be able to add a bit of light in this dark world.”

Rublev is not the only player to part ways with Nike at the start of 2023. Croatia’s Donna Vekic, another longtime brand representative, has recently launched Donna Sport, her own brand of clothing in collaboration with men's sports apparel label Uomo Sport. Meanwhile, Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine and Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic have also been spotted competing Down Under sans-Swoosh.

Currently the No. 4 seed at the ATP 250-level Adelaide International 1, Rublev will play the first singles match of the new season against Roberto Bautista Agut on Tuesday. He is also scheduled to compete at Adelaide International 2, where he is the top seed, and the Australian Open.