“Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem have the courage to admit they lost because of pressure,” states Andrey Rublev
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Dominic Thiem, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andrey Rublev
Andrey ‘The Giant Killer’ Rublev has undoubtedly been one of the players of the year. The young Russian leads the ATP tour for winning the most number of titles with 5 in 2020. Moreover, these victories include 3 ATP 500 level titles as well.
Rublev advanced to the quarter-finals of the the U.S Open and the French Open this year. At the former, a battle between compatriots Daniil Medvedev and Andrey took place. The latter proved to be miles ahead of Medvedev untill the first set tie-break, when he just seemed to mentally collapse. This resulted in a minor breakdown, which ultimately cost him the match 6-7(8), 3-6, 6-7(5).
Likewise, in Paris, Rublev was facing off against Stefanos Tsitsipas, whom he’d defeated a week prior to claim his first ATP 500 title at the German Open. Andrey had the lead in this battle as well. He was on serve and a game away from snagging the first set. However, the yips that his coach, Fernando Vicente had spoken about took over yet again. Rublev, who couldn’t miss a single point even when Tsitsipas was serving, was visibly shaken up when he was seemingly a step away from victory.
One can argue that Rublev would’ve advanced even further, especially at the aforementioned Grand Slams, were it not for pressure taking a grip over his mind.
Rublev gives an insight into his psyche
In an interview with Sports 24, the Russian explained how much he has struggled to deal with pressure during his 2020 run. Further, he went on commend Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem for their ability to admit their shortcomings.
“Someone begins to look for excuses. Top players like Nadal or Dominic, Federer have the courage to say, ‘I didn’t win this match because I was pinched. So I couldn’t handle the pressure,’ Rublev stated.
Furthermore, he commented that during his clash with Rafa at the Nitto ATP Finals, he simply “could not cope with the pressure.”
Inspite of the desire to show that he is ready to take on the top players, Rublev succumbed to the pressure he felt. However, even amidst these overwhelming emotions, the youngster has proved himself time and time again. Especially now that he recognises the barrier ahead of him, he is more likely to push through it and reap results that he is very much capable of in 2021.
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