Rublev remains in top five after winning appeal against removal of ranking points and money following default in Dubai

The Russian was defaulted after screaming in the face of a line judge in the semi-finals in Dubai

@ Tennis TV

March 4, 2024

Andrey Rublev has retained his place in the world’s top five after winning an appeal against the removal of ranking points (and prize money) following his default at last week’s Dubai Open.

The Russian was defaulted late in the third set of his semi-final against Alexander Bublik after screaming in the face of a line judge. A different line judge, who spoke Russian, had reported Rublev’s words to the umpire and the supervisor issued the default for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Rublev, who had denied using the words cited by the line judge and asked them to view video footage (a request which was denied), would have fallen out of the world’s top five had he lost his ranking points for the week been removed. Instead, the Russian remains No 5.

ATP admits a goof — Rublev keeps his prize money and points but gets fined $36k. Too bad they can’t finished the match.
— Matt Futterman (@MattFutterman) March 4, 2024

“The appeals committee concluded that, beyond forfeiting the match, customary penalties associated with a default – namely loss of rankings points and prize money for the entire tournament – would be disproportionate in this case,” the ATP said in a statement given to Reuters.

Rublev’s fine of $36,400 (£28,700), issued at the time, still stands.

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