By Shrivathsa Sridhar
PARIS, May 29 (Reuters) – Andrey Rublev shrugged off the mystique around his unmistakable mane of red hair, saying at the French Open on Friday that there were no secrets to his look and his rise up the world rankings shaped how it was perceived.
Rublev’s shaggy hair has grown noticeably longer in recent months and has remained largely undisturbed by the sweat and the stress of competition, becoming as recognisable as his striking forehand and sometimes volatile temper.
“No secrets, I guess I was just lucky. The way I wake up is the way it is,” world number 13 Rublev told reporters following his 7-5 7-6(2) 7-6(2) third round win over Nuno Borges.
“No, to be honest, of course I take care of my hair.”
Rublev said the attention around his hair had shifted with his results over time, turning from curiosity and ridicule into admiration as his ranking climbed.
“It’s funny because when I was far away from the top 10, it was the opposite. Can he have a normal haircut? What’s this with his hair? He looks like a monkey. He has no money to have a haircut?” the former world number five from Russia added.
“Then when you start to be a better player, somehow you appear to the top 10, it’s like ‘wow, what hair he has, what style, he’s a rockstar’.
“I had all my life, this hair. How that opinion changes, you know? Of course I’m taking care (of it), but not (going) crazy.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in ParisEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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