“Every time you take to the field, to train or to play, there is always a risk. When you train you are already at a very intense pace, so the risk is always there. I believe everything depends on the moment.
When you you feel good, you also feel good physically and there is less chance that something will happen to you. When you are tired or things are not going well, you have problems with your body. Every tennis player is responsible for himself and knows where he has to push more or less.”
These were the words of Andrey Rublev, expressed in the press conference after qualifying for the final of the Mutua Madrid Open. The Russian responded to a question regarding the injuries and retirements that are occurring these days.
Jannik Sinner, for example, withdrew preventively on the eve of his quarterfinal match in Madrid, to try to resolve a hip injury that he has been carrying with him for a few weeks. Carlos Alcaraz, after being defeated in the quarter-finals by Rublev, has decided to withdraw from the upcoming Italian Open due to a new injury. Last came the withdrawal of Daniil Medevdev, on the eve of the semi-final.
Andrey Rublev, Madrid 2024© Julian Finney / Staff – Getty Images Sport
Rublev had arrived in Madrid fresh from a very dark period, which began with the disqualification in the match against Bublik in Dubai and followed by four consecutive defeats against opponents like Jiri Lehecka, Tomas Machac, Alexei Popyrin and Brandon Nakashima.
At the Spanish ATP Masters 1000, an excellent version of the Russian was finally seen, who completed a perfect path that pushed him to the final in the Spanish capital, beating players like Alcaraz and Taylor Fritz.
Rublev expressed also othe ATP Masters 1000 spreaded on two weeks
The Russian beat the American 6-4 6-3, reaching his fifth career ATP Masters 1000 final. In the press conference, a satisfied Rublev spoke about his feelings and the dark period he went through in the last two months.
“I’m really happy to be in the final. I didn’t expect it. I always wanted to make my way here and now I’m in the final. I didn’t like playing at altitude because I hit the ball very hard, I like to be aggressive, and at altitude it’s not easy.
You can’t play easily. Here he is not so high, he still controls the ball a little. That’s how it works in this sport. Here we often have big tournaments. In other sports you have to wait months. That way, if you don’t do well in a tournament, you don’t have to wait that long. It’s true that tennis is mentally very difficult, but every week we have a new chance.
The seasons are long and it is normal to have ups and downs. The good thing about going into crisis often is that you can easily come back from it,” he said.
Andrey Rublev, Madrid 2024© Julian Finney / Staff – Getty Images Sport
On the extension of the ATP Master 1000 to two weeks, he explained:
“There are things I like and things I don’t like. I like the fact that I have a rest day and can recover a little physically for Sunday. Mentally it’s harder, because you have to be at your best for two weeks, not just one. At the end of the two weeks you feel a little more mentally tired than from the events of a week. There are positives and negatives.”
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