Andrey Rublev refuses to play against Novak Djokovic ever again after Paris Masters loss

Novak Djokovic demolished Andrey Rublev with a 5-7, 7-6, 7-5 victory to claim a ticket to the Paris Masters Finale.

Andrey Rublev refuses to play against Novak Djokovic ever again after Paris Masters loss

Novak Djokovic, Andrey Rublev (Images via: ATP Tour)

World No. 1, Novak Djokovic, took on Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev in a thrilling semi-final round match last night. Following a dramatic showdown, the Serbs demolished Rublev in a close clash. The 26-year-old, who gave his all in the match, vowed to never play a match against Djokovic.

Fifth seed Andrey Rublev squared off against the reigning US Open champion, Novak Djokovic, less than 18 hours after attaining a victory over Alex De Minaur in the quarters.

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Despite this, the Russian gave an impressive performance on the court right from the start. Rublev challenged Djokovic with powerful groundstrokes, claiming the first set with a 7-5.

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The top seed, however, managed to win 7 games out of 13 in the second set. The 36-year-old then went on to receive treatment from his physio on his lower back before playing the highly anticipated decider set. He upped his game in the third set and held onto his form to claim his ticket to the Finals in Bercy with a 5-7, 7-6, 7-5 victory.

I was playing really great level, I was controlling really good emotions so looks like I’m moving in the right direction and the most important thing is to just keep going this way.
Rublev stated in a press conference following the match

Refusing to play against the Serb once again, the Russian additionally stated: 

No, no, no. I don’t want to play him next time. That’s all I want.

Novak Djokovic calls Andrey Rublev a snake as he dishes out on his latest win

Novak Djokovic is on the lookout for a 7th win at the Paris Masters this year.  In an interview following his victory in the semi-finals, the Serbian ace praised his opponent’s form against him as he compared Rublev to a snake and called himself a frog.

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic(Image via:FirstSportz)
Rublev was suffocating me like a snake suffocates a frog for most of the match. He was playing at an extremely high level. I knew he possessed a great quality, but today he played off the charts. I don’t think I’ve ever faced Rublev this good.
Djokovic remarked as he praised the Russian

With his latest win over Rublev, Djokovic has registered his fourth consecutive victory against him. He has beaten the 26-year-old on all three occasions this year, improving his head-to-head score against Rublev to 5-1.

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