ATP Finals: Andrey Rublev before the start against Rafael Nadal - "The pressure is on him"
Andrey Rublev makes his debut at this year's Nitto ATP Finals. Before his opening match with Rafael Nadal , the formidable Russian takes on the role of the underdog.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Nov 15, 2020, 08:54 am
Andrey Rublev can look back on a very successful tennis year 2020, that is already clear before the Nitto ATP Finals. The Russian was able to qualify for this for the first time due to his strong performance in this calendar year, in particular because of his five title wins on the ATP Tour, and can now match the best eight players of the season in the London O2 Arena.
As usual, the Russian was extremely humble in the press conference before the tournament. He is "grateful for everything he has been able to go through in the last few months" and is grateful for his team that is always at his side. "We are pursuing the same vision, they give me a lot of energy. Because of them, I'm where I am today," said the Russian. At the same time, he has worked very hard in the last few months and puts a lot of energy into improving his game.
Rublev would prefer full ranks
This improvement brought the 23-year-old his first qualification for the season highlight in London's O2 Arena. An ambience that, under normal circumstances, is quite impressive, even for the mood-tested players. This will be different in 2020, however, due to the increasing number of cases, the British capital will also be playing in front of empty stands.
A circumstance that Dominic Thiem does not see as a disadvantage for the debutants in London, as he was a bit intimidated by the atmosphere in London when he was allowed to serve in the O2 arena for the first time. Andrey Rublev sees it differently: "Of course I'm nervous, it's my first time here. But that's normal, because we're all human. But I would prefer to play in front of a full stadium and experience the atmosphere. Because these are the moments that we work towards, that we play for. "
At the start against Nadal
At the start, the young Russian will face the group favorite, the 20-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal ( Sunday, 9:00 p.m. live on Sky and in our live ticker ). An opponent for whom the Russian has only positive words left: "He is one of the mentally best athletes in the world. I'm really looking forward to the match, he is one of the best players in tennis history," said Rublev. As a result, however, the "entire pressure" lies on the Spaniard, but he himself has nothing to lose in this match. "I'm looking forward to the match and then we'll see what comes of it," said the eighth place in the world.
In general, there would be no easy matches at this tournament, which makes it all the more interesting to be involved, as Rublev emphasizes: "All the matches here are really tough, the best players in the world play here. I played a few matches against Stefanos and Dominic , won a few, lost a few. It will be very exciting. " The Russian has the chance in London to crown his strong tennis year.