I think I still have to improve the mental part of my game, reckons Andrey Rublev after losing to Adrian Mannarino at the Kremlin Cup
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Andrey Rublev
Despite having a match point up his sleeve, World No.6 Andrey Rublev was stunned by Adrian Mannarino in the opening round of the Kremlin Cup. Although the top seed was a set up, he lost the match in three sets to the French veteran. In defeating Rublev, the 33-year-old also avenged his defeat to the Russian from a few years ago in Moscow.
It hasn’t been a very productive season for Rublev on the hard courts, since the start of the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in July. While he did manage to reach the finals of the 2021 Cincinnati Masters, and the semis in San Diego, the 24-year-old also lost early in Montreal, New York and Indian Wells.
Distressed and unhappy with the performance against Mannarino in the Russian capital, Rublev then teamed up with countryman Karen Khachanov in the doubles event to take on Harri Heliovaara and Matwe Middlekoop. Unfortunately, the Russian pair lost in three sets.
Explaining to the media how his loss in the singles earlier, prevented him from focusing on playing the doubles match Rublev said, “This match affected me, that’s for sure. I couldn’t play the double correctly. It was Karen who practically played alone. I was completely devastated, emotionless, depressed and disturbed by bad thoughts. I missed everything, and Karen did everything.”
Rublev further added that he has to keep working on the mental side of the game to keep moving up the ladder on the ATP tour. “Right now I think I still have to improve the mental part of my game. I think that’s the main thing in my case, because the players who are better than me, they know how to handle all these moments much better than me,” the Russian reckoned.
Bercy Masters next up for Andrey Rublev
After a disappointing show in Moscow, Rublev will now turn his attention towards the Bercy Masters in Paris, next month. Furthermore, regardless of what happens in the French capital, the Russian has almost qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin next month.
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Vivek Krishnan
(767 Articles Published)