"Cruel and unforgiving; treated like a war criminal everywhere he goes" - Tennis fans react to heartbreaking video of Andrey Rublev crying during his US Open quarterfinal defeat to Frances Tiafoe

Andrey Rublev's 2022 US Open campaign came to an end on Wednesday following his straight-sets defeat to Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals. The Russian lost 6(3)-7, 6(0)-7, 4-6 in two hours and 35 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

It was a closely contested match, where both players held their serves over and over in the first two sets, both of which were decided by tiebreakers. A decisive break in the third set, however, turned the match in Tiafoe's favor.

At this point during the changeover, Rublev was caught on camera crying at the prospect of not making it through to the semifinals.

This caught fans' attention, who were heartbroken to see Rublev's teary-eyed video. Playing against Tiafoe, who was vocally backed by a passionate home crowd, was not an easy affair, one fan noted.

"My heart breaks for him, never easy playing against a crowd," a tweet read.

Another user brought up the mistreatment he has received over the last few months owing to his nationality, hinting that it might have contributed to his outburst of emotions. The Russian was banned from participating in the Wimbledon Championships, while he has been competing everywhere without officially representing his country.

"What a difficult year for him. He's treated like a war criminal everywhere he goes for crimes he did not do. Imagine being him. Hopefully next year is better for him," a fan wrote.

One user fan interpreted that Rublev was crying because he lost his best chance to win a Grand Slam in the absence of the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Daniil Medvedev. He also thought it explained why Nick Kyrgios lost his cool after his quarterfinal defeat yesterday.

"No Djokovic, Nadal, Medvedev or even Thiem at QF stage of a slam is a godsend. You can see by his and Kyrgios’ reactions they know they blew their best ever chance to win a major", a user observed.

Here are a few more fan reactions to the video of Rublev crying:

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"American tennis is in a great place" - Frances Tiafoe defeats Andrey Rublev to become first American man since 2006 to reach US Open semifinals

Frances Tiafoe is through to the 2022 US Open semifinals.

The defeat of Andrey Rublev took Frances Tiafoe into the US Open semifinals, making him the first black American male US Open semifinalist since Arthur Ashe in 1972. He also became the first American man since Andy Roddick in 2006 to reach the last four in New York.

Speaking after the match, the 24-year-old stated that American tennis, especially the men's side, is back on the right track.

"Yeah, I think all the American guys are pushing each other. You see Fritz won Indian Wells this year. Reilly made finals of Toronto last year. Me and Fritz had a great run at Wimbledon. Could have made semis there. Tough one with Rafa. Heartbreaker," he said.

Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Schedule