Watch 'nightmare' moment Andrey Rublev turns up for big French Open match without any racquets before fiery exchange with umpire

Andrey Rublev’s fourth-round match at the French Open against Jakub Mensik was anything but a dull affair.

The 28-year-old rarely fails to provide a talking point or two, and his meeting with Mensik was no exception.

And this time it started before a ball had even been struck as his hopes of reaching an 11th Grand Slam quarter-final at Roland-Garros were nearly snuffed out moments after arriving on court.

After both players made their entrance, there was a bizarre delay as Rublev cut a confusing figure next to the umpire. Eyes scanning the arena, it was clear something was awry.

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Assessing the scene as it unfolded were TNT Sports experts Tim Henman and Johanna Konta, who quickly got to the bottom of the issue.

"I hope he hasn’t forgotten his racquets," Henman began.

"I feel like that’s the stuff of nightmares for tennis players: forgetting your racquets, forgetting shoes," Konta added.

Highlights: Mensik downs Rublev in five-set epic

Video credit: TNT Sports

On the broadcast, the umpire could then be heard saying, "I think we’ll understand when they arrive", before adding, "they are on their way".

"I’ve got to think Rublev has come on court without his racquets," Henman continued.

The former men’s British No. 1 was correct. With a place in the last eight at stake, Rublev was on court at one of the sport’s most prestigious events without the most vital piece of equipment.

He stood next to the umpire shaking his head, with a wry smile appearing as the crowd began to work out what had caused the delay.

But could it have had anything to do with Rublev’s coach, Marat Safin, who was known for doing things very much his own way when he was on tour?

"Is that a very Marat Safin thing to do?" Konta queried, jokingly.

"I’m not sure," Henman responded. "It’s pretty important to remember the tool of your trade ,and that is a racquet if you’re a tennis player."

Eventually, racquets did arrive for Rublev, a ball kid running them over to the 11th seed so the warm-up could start, but question marks still remained.

"There’s a couple of racquets, but that’s not enough for five sets," Henman said. "I think that’s two racquets that have been brought to the court."

"You only need one, Tim," replied Konta.

"You can’t play with two, but if one breaks you definitely need a back-up, and if you’re going to play five sets, you’re going to need a lot more than two," concluded Henman.

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The match did, ultimately, go the distance, but not before there was more drama involving Rublev in the second set.

After losing the opener, Rublev was involved in a fiery clash with the umpire.

Trailing 4-3, and a break down, the men’s 11th seed was left unimpressed that the official in the chair would not come down and check a serve he believed was incorrectly called in.

"I’m not going to check that one," the umpire could be heard saying.

Rublev approached and pleaded his case.

"I’m standing on the baseline," he began. "Do you think I can see one millimetre out or in?”

"Of course, I trust him [the line judge]… but I have one shot by the rule.”

In response, the umpire said: "Now can I talk? I 100% agree with you. However, you hit the shot, moved one or two steps to the right, your ball was out, and then you got interested.

"I’m not going to check in that case. You hit, and then you go directly to the mark, that’s how it goes."

'He's seriously wound up' - Rublev clashes with umpire over line call

Video credit: TNT Sports

As the discussion continued, Rublev insisted the umpire was "wrong", but it made no difference to the final decision.

Rublev lost the second set, but fought back superbly well to force a decider - and give himself a chance of pulling off the comeback.

But it wasn’t to be. Mensik brought the curtain down on a thrilling contest with an ace to move into the last eight.

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