Rublev opens up on mental health; earns huge win over Thiem

Just one day after shedding light on his recent back injury and mental health struggles in a Behind the Racquet Instagram post, Andrey Rublev scored the biggest win of his career over Dominic Thiem in the Hamburg quarterfinals.

The 21-year-old Russian admitted to battling with depression, incited by his lingering back injury and inability to compete.

“I was born to compete and now I couldn’t,” Rublev said, “and that’s where moments of depression came from.”

Rublev soared to No. 31 in the world early in the 2018 season before a stress fracture in his back derailed his climb. He dropped to No. 115 in February of this year.

“I clearly remember nothing else at the time was making me happy, it truly was one of the toughest moments of my career," he said.

The Russian followed his milestone win over Thiem with a victory over Pablo Carreno Busta, before falling to Nikoloz Basilashvili in the final. After the strong week, he rises to No. 49 in the rankings–slowly but surely working his way back up where he belongs.