Thiago Seyboth Wild Fails to Shed ‘Woman-Beater’ Tag Despite Nearly Pulling off Andrey Rublev Upset

Much akin to his name, Brazilian tennis star Thiago Seyboth Wild had a ‘wild’ start to this year’s Australian Open. He got off to a great start and almost won the match against Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev. And yet, despite going down with a terrific fight, Wild will not be remembered in a good way.

Searches about the 23-year-old Brazilian taking on the Russian spiked in Google in the US. Many in the process also learned about his alleged physical and mental abuse towards ex-girlfriend Thayane Lima. Thiago Seyboth Wild denied those claims and counter-sued his ex-girlfriend for defamation and extortion. The jury is still out for either.

Meanwhile, fans online didn’t even hesitate to lambast him for such behavior. This is not the first time that an alleged domestic abuser has not been tolerated, as fans did the same for Alexander Zverev recently. Nick Kyrgios, who often gets in fights, is also subject to the same accusation.

In an online post, cleverly comparing Thiago Seyboth Wild to the all-time great Roger Federer, fans have criticized him in colorful manners. The term “wife beater” came up several times.

The Brazilian lost one of the closest first round matches one can ever see at a Grand Slam, 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-7 (6-10). Rublev won the super tie-breaker in the end. Thiago Seyboth Wild was meeting the Russian for the first time in this Australian Open. However, at the French Open last year, he met another Russian Daniil Medvedev, and stunned tennis fans around the world with his 7-6, 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 win. All of these might’ve propelled him to being a fan favorite. However, Wild’s past continue to haunt him.

Thiago Seyboth Wild is way behind in the ATP Rankings at 78. But he is only 23 and has already beaten World No.3 Medvedev in their only encounter so far. He also defeated Casper Ruud in the Chile Open last year. Joma and Wilson are the two brands he endorses. Seyboth Wild lives in the Argentinian capital city of Buenos Aires.

After beating Thiago Seyboth Wild, does Andrey Rublev stand a chance at the AO?

Andrey Rublev was the 5th seeded player going into the Australian Open. After beating Seyboth-Wild, Rublev will now face the winner of the Christopher Eubanks vs Taro Daniel match in the Round of 64. Realistically speaking, Rublev stands a good chance of making it to the quarterfinals. Except, Milos Raonic or Sebastian Korda could pose a threat to Rublev in the Round of 32.

Korda, who was famously named by John McEnroe, among others, to stand a chance to win the Australian Open, will not fancy losing to the Rublev that turned up against Wild. As the draws are scheduled, if Rublev goes past the Round of 16, he might face World No.4 Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals. Sinner is another potential candidate to win the Australian Open, as predicted by former World No. 7 Barbara Schett.

Either way, Rublev will have to step up his game by a lot and probably learn from Djokovic, like Kyrgios once mentioned, to come anywhere close to winning the title. Whether he wins it from here, remains to be seen.