‘It’s a big advantage for me,’ Andrey Rublev pleased with Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from Wimbledon 2021
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Andrey Rublev and Rafael Nadal
After a terrible outing at the French Open, World No.7 Andrey Rublev has finaaly found his rhythm as he stormed into the semifinals of the Noventi Open at Halle. He will now face Nikoloz Basilashvili in the Last 4 on Saturday.
Rublev has been absolutely flawless this week at Halle. He has defeated the likes of Karen Khachanov, Jordan Thompson and Philipp Kohlschreiber without dropping a set. He looks very confident on court and would like to go deep at Wimbledon. After his quarterfinal match, Rublev analyzed his game and spoke about his transition from grass to clay.
“I have adapted to the grass, but there are so many things I can still improve on the grass. For example, with the slice, the volley, and moving better,” Rublev said. “Also, defending on grass, because it is different, you can’t defend with high balls like on clay, so I think I am still far away.”
2-time Champion, Rafael Nadal withdrew from Wimbledon to give himself more time to recover after a hectic Clay season. Rublev spoke about the same and shared that how Rafa’s withdrawal will benefit him.
He said: “Of course, for the players like me, with Rafael Nadal not playing, it is a big advantage for me as I am going to be a higher seed now. But there are so many guys that are really tough to play on grass. For example, imagine having Struff in the first round of Wimbledon or Nick Kyrigos.”
‘The past is the past’: Andrey Rublev on his French Open loss
After making it to the final of Monte Carlo Masters, Rublev was in great form and was a serious contender to go deep at the French Open. But the Russian was shocked in the very opening round, as he lost to Jan-Lennard Struff in a five set thriller. He reflected upon the same.
“The past is the past; I can’t change it. I would have liked to have great results in Paris, but I played a tough opponent in Jan-Lennard Struff in the first round. Now I try to focus on the grass with Halle, where I am in the semi-finals and trying to do my best,” Rublev said.
Andrey Rublev, who has a tremendous record in ATP 500 events will look to make it to the final at Halle and win it. He is the highest remaining seed in the tournament and will face Nikoloz Basilashvili in the semifinal.
Also read: LISTEN: Tennis players predict the outcome of the ongoing Euro 2020
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Lakshya Chopra
(2595 Articles Published)