PARIS (AP) — The tennis season is heating up with the French Open underway. That means that racket-smashing moments can’t be far off.In a sport known for its mental challenges, it’s part of the game to see top players lose their cool on court. In recent weeks, Daniil Medvedev and Daniel Altmaier have each had memorable, racket-mangling meltdowns on Europe’s clay courts.But it’s nothing new, as anyone who remembers watching John McEnroe decades back can attest to.So what goes on inside players’ heads that results in temper tantrums before packed stadiums?“It’s not about tennis,” said former top-five player Andrey Rublev, who is known for his on-court anger — he sometimes bloodies his hands and body when he punches his racket strings and slams his knees to get the frustration out.“All (people) have this situation in life and you just lose it,” added the 13th-ranked Rublev, whose coach, Marat Safin, said he broke 1,055 rackets during his playing days.
“It doesn’t have to be tennis. It’s just the thing (in) tennis you are alone and they are watching you,” Rublev said. “Some people face it better, some let those emotions kind of control you. I’m one of those guys who let those emotions to take over me.”
