Rublev beat Lorenzo Sonego 7-6 (3) 7-5 at the Moselle Open last week and withdrew almost immediately. The tournament announced his withdrawal, stating: “During his match, A. Rublev felt pain, which was confirmed by the on-site medical staff who suspected an abdominal injury.

“He chose to withdraw from the tournament and travel to Turin to undergo a treatment and recovery protocol, in order to improve his chances of competing in the ATP Finals.”

But Sonego, who had already been ousted from the event, was not happy. The Italian claimed Rublev knew he was always going to pull out and even showed up to the match with his suitcases so he could leave.

“There were lucky losers waiting to get in, and he took the place of a lucky loser; he took away my chance to advance in the tournament when he already knew he wasn’t going to play. It wasn’t very fair or respectful to me,” the world No.53 told Ubitennis.

Rublev has now responded to his rival’s claims, admitting he was at fault. But he also claimed Djokovic withdrew too late from the ATP Finals, at which point he had no choice but to play his opening match in Metz even if he wanted to leave.

The world No. 9 told Championship: “I understand his emotions, it was probably wrong of him. Everything is relative. I came to this tournament to reach the final.

“He understood it, the tournament organizers understood it too. When rumors started that Novak would step down, (Casper) Ruud, (Alex) de Minaur and I were waiting for his decision.

“All the tournaments and all the players knew it. If he had retired earlier, no one would have played this tournament.

“But Novak withdrew on the day of my match. I decided to play because the spectators bought tickets. I wanted to somehow compensate for this situation with Turin. I am sure that if Sonego had been in my place, he would have done the same.

The eight men who have earned the most ranking points in a single season qualify for the ATP Finals. Djokovic qualified sixth, leaving Rublev, Ruud and De Minaur in a three-way race for the final two spots.

They all competed in ATP 250 events last week to try to boost their chances, but Djokovic announced he would not defend his ATP Finals title on Tuesday, November 5, hours before Rublev’s match against Sonego.

The Russian went to court and won. Ruud also remained in the Moselle Open draw and played on Wednesday but lost his opening match.

Meanwhile, De Minaur – who competed in another event in Belgrade – withdrew from his tournament completely once his place in the ATP Finals was confirmed.