Andrey Rublev reveals facing shocking amputation scare during mystery surgery ahead of China Open

Andrey Rublev has made a shocking revelation about his health, one that has sent shock waves across the tennis world. Speaking in a recent interview, Rublev disclosed that he was at risk of amputation during a surgery procedure following the US Open and was lucky to get away with everything intact.

Rublev had a decent run at Flushing Meadows, reaching the Round of 16 before losing to Grigor Dimitrov in a five-set thriller. After that, he returned to action at the China Open to kick off his Asian swing.

In an interview on BetBoom tennis channel on Telegram, the 26-year-old revealed that just before he left for Beijing, he suddenly fell ill with an issue that usually occurs in children. For now, what the actual issue was remains unknown.

As a result, Rublev had to undergo immediate surgery. At this point, the World No. 6 made the shocking claim, saying that had the surgery lasted more than five hours, the doctors would have had to resort to amputation. Thankfully, it turned out to be a routine procedure that got done under the time limit, thus allowing him full recovery quickly.

"After the US Open, I was preparing for China, and a couple of days before departure, the unexpected happened. As I was told, this (i.e. the issue he had) usually happens to children. I needed surgery, which, if not done, could lead to amputation," Andrey Rublev said (Translation from Russian to English provided by user '@katemur16').

"It was lucky that in the first 3-4 hours it all turned out, because after 5-6 hours, amputation was mandatory. As a result, everything was done, everything went well and ended better than expected. I managed to recover quickly," he added.

Andrey Rublev also added that before surgery the initial prognosis was not all that good, as he was told he would have to stay in bed for a month without playing. Thankfully, the reality has been starkly different for the Russian.

"Before the operation, there were not very pleasant forecasts: that I will need to stay in bed for at least a month, I can't get up, I can't do anything. Everything went well, so I was able to return quickly," Andrey Rublev said.

At the China Open, Rublev reached the quarterfinals before losing to China's Bu Yunchaokete.

Andrey Rublev in action next at Shanghai Masters 2024

Following his run at the China Open, Andrey Rublev will be in action next at the 2024 Shanghai Masters. In his opener, he is set to take on either Jakub Mensik or Pedro Martinez.

Placed in the bottom half of the draw, the Russian is likely to face Grigor Dimitrov in the fourth round and Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals, followed by a potential semifinal clash against Alexander Zverev or Taylor Fritz.