Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev suffered shock defeats at ATP 250 level and now must face the task of turning their inconsistent seasons around.
Once upon a time Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev had consistently been qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals but that looks under threat this year.
Both have been open about mental health struggles and both have had their good moments and both have had their struggles.
The peak of Ruud’s season so far was winning the Masters 1000 title in Madrid while Rublev claimed the ATP 500 title in Doha earlier this year.
However, both players’ form has dipped and they are clearly showing the mental or physical wear and tear.
Ruud lost the last six games in a row to Juan Manuel Cerundolo in Gstaad, losing his quarter-final 6-2 1-6 6-3 in what was a big win for Cerundolo.
Meanwhile, Rublev lost a tight semi-final in Los Cabos to Aleksandar Kovacevic 3-6 6-4 6-4 as he is now 2-0 down to the American in their head-to-head.
For Ruud it’s about physical healing after revealing how the ATP schedule has burned him out physically and mentally.
As for Rublev, the world number ten continues to struggle for consistency after having some mental health struggles this season.
Now both players head to America in search for answers with Rublev competing at the ATP 500 event in Washington next week while Ruud’s next tournament is the Masters 1000 event in Toronto.
It will be difficult for both players to return to Turin at the end of the season but if they want momentum heading into next season then they will need to pick up significant wins and quickly.
How will both players cope out of the spotlight?
