Tennis ace Andrey Rublev has opened up about his terrifying health ordeal that nearly cost him a testicle.
The Russian sensation, currently ranked world No. 7, disclosed that he had to undergo emergency surgery during the Asian tour before his scheduled trip to China. Rublev has now shockingly revealed that he was on the brink of “losing” one of his testicles, having been whisked away for an urgent operation and signing consent forms for a potential amputation.
Following the scare, the 26-year-old made a triumphant return to the court at last month’s China Open without delving into the specifics of his medical emergency, reports the Express.
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Now competing as the top seed at the ATP 250 event in Stockholm this week, Rublev won his opening match and humorously commented on his close call: “I almost lost my ball. Now I feel perfect, everything went well. I don’t know how to call it in a smart way but I can call it in a funny way… I almost lost my ball.”
The tennis star recounted how he found himself on the operating table just four hours after feeling pain, narrowly avoiding a drastic amputation. “I was super lucky because they say you have only five or six hours if the blood stops going there and then it’s amputation,” said Rublev. “I was lucky. I don’t know why I said, ‘Let’s go to hospital just to check why I feel a weird feeling.'”
(Image: (Image: Getty))
The tennis star also shared how prompt medical attention saved his career and potentially his life. He added: “They checked straight away and they took me as an emergency to do the surgery and then they were able to do the surgery in three or four hours after the first feeling I felt. So they were able to do everything good and in the end everything is great.”
“The last thing before they made me sleep, I signed the paper saying they were allowed to amputate my ball – that was the last thing before the surgery that I saw.”
Last month, Rublev pulled out of the Hangzhou Open. However, just a week later in Beijing, he was back in action. After that, he headed to Shanghai, where he first addressed the procedure. Speaking to BetBoom Tennis, Rublev said: “After the US Open I was preparing for China, and a couple of days before the flight I needed an operation, which, if not performed, could have led to amputation.
“They told me after the surgery that I might be lucky to be in Shanghai. Then I said, ‘Okay, if I might be lucky to be in Shanghai then there’s a chance to be in Beijing.’ So here I am. No one (from my team) expected me to be here,” he expressed with relief.”