ATP Masters Monte Carlo: Andrey Rublev after success over Rafael Nadal - "One of my best victories of all time"
Andrey Rublevprevailed against clay court king Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament - and was naturally more than happy with his performance afterwards.
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Apr 17, 2021, 09:58 am
You have felt this film so often, especially on the clay courts of the world: Rafael Nadal has a hard time at first, survives some critical phases on his own serve after losing the starting set in the second round, comes back into the game with a spectacular blow and dismantles in further follow his opponent. It almost got that far in the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament against Andrey Rublev. But only almost.
Because the Russian did not bury his head in the sand towards the end of the second set, despite a strong chase by the Spaniard, presented himself as a livelier player in the third section and earned his first career success over Nadal. In the end it was 6: 2, 4: 6 and 6: 2 from Rublev's point of view, who will now meet Casper Ruud in the semifinals.
Mental masterpiece
"Nadal is the best player of all time on clay. From this point of view it is definitely one of my best wins of all time. It feels a bit like a win against Roger Federer," said the 23-year-old delighted. But he also knows that the Iberian did not show his best tennis.
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Nevertheless, the world number eight in the principality has so far been convincing. In particular, the mental masterpiece of the Russian after losing the second set knew how to impress one or the other observer of the tennis scene, also in view of the psychologically challenging round of 16 match against Roberto Bautista Agut.
Rublev pays tribute to Nadal
For Rublev himself, Nadal's comeback in the second section was apparently not too difficult to digest. "The situation was surreal. I had breakballs at 6: 2 and 3: 1. I guess I understood internally that something was going to change. (...) He came back then. I accepted that, was ready and I did told me to play like before, "said the 23-year-old.
Another advantage for Rublev was the expectation in the run-up to the game: "I can't imagine being in Rafa's situation. You know he's the best player on clay and has pressure every time. It has to be for him always be incredibly difficult. (...) It is easy to play if you don't expect anything. " In the semifinals, however, the man from Moscow will have to deal with the high expectations: Rublev is the clear favorite against Casper Ruud.
Here the single tableau in Monte Carlo
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