“Rafa, this is his way,” Andrey Rublev doesn’t go with ‘one size fits all’ as he breaks down Rafael Nadal’s pre-match rituals

Andrey Rublev pulls off an emotional victory against Thiago Seyboth Wild in a five-set thriller.

“Rafa, this is his way,” Andrey Rublev doesn’t go with ‘one size fits all’ as he breaks down Rafael Nadal’s pre-match rituals

Rafael Nadal and Andrey Rublev (Via X)

A pre-match routine for an athlete is a preparation designed according to their requirements, and it may not be a guarantee that it will work for all the others. Andrey Rublev also doubles with this as he talks about Nadal’s warm-up to the press.

In a recent interview with the press, the Russian talked about Rafael Nadal’s pre-match routine and how it may not be guaranteed to work for everyone. The Spaniard is known for his iconic pre-match routine, which involves quick sprints and jumping. 

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No other player has such a routine, and Rublev believes that they shouldn’t. Usually, players just remain calm before a match, whereas the Spaniard pumps up his body before entering the court. 

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This routine is for Nadal, but his opponents usually get intimidated by it. Even Novak Djokovic has admitted to the routine being intimidating and pissing off.

Rafa, this is his way. I think it's just the most important thing. If it works for him, then perfect. The most important thing is for each player to find those routine things that make him feel better, for each player to find it by themself.
Said Rublev to the Australian Open Press.

He reckons that every player should find a routine that makes them feel better. In addition to this, the Russian believe that one can copy another’s style, but it won’t work for everyone due to the different body types.

Explore: A “panicking” Andrey Rublev turns to compatriot Daniil Medvedev for help before sealing a victory in the first round at the Australian Open against Medvedev’s French Open nemesis

Andrey Rublev advances to the second round after a near-loss experience in his first match

Seed No. 6 Andrey Rublev manages to hold on together as he beats Thiago Seyboth Wild in a thriller of a match.

Andrey Rublev
Andrey Rublev (Image via: Imago)

From being in a comfortable position with two set wins, Rublev lost all momentum heading into the next set as his opponent started his comeback.

The match soon went on to the 10-match decider, where the Brazilian took a comfortable 4-1 lead. From a state of absolute panic, Rublev wins the next 10 points 6-9 before serving to win the match.

During the post-match interview, the Russian revealed that he lost all hopes of winning and played more freely, which turned out in favor of him, and he won the game to advance to the second round of the Grand Slam. 

He also revealed that once he started to relax after two sets, that proved very costly in the form of the match. Furthermore, Rublev started to show emotions as he was losing before trying to get the feel of the ball and eventually clawing himself to win the highly emotional match.

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