Andrey Rublev talks of going up against ‘lover’ Grigor Dimitrov in the Shanghai Masters semis

Last month, both Dimitrov and Rublev competed at the Finals of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown.

Andrey Rublev talks of going up against ‘lover’ Grigor Dimitrov in the Shanghai Masters semis

Grigor Dimitrov and Andrey Rublev (Image via: X/@atptour)

Russian 5th seed Andrey Rublev will be up against Grigor Dimitrov at their upcoming semi-final round face-off at the Shanghai Masters event today. Following his straight sets win over French tennis player, Ugo Humbert, Rublev spoke about his next match with his Bulgarian friend, Dimitrov.

Last month, both Dimitrov and Rublev competed at the Finals of the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) where they caught the attention of the fans and spectators with their brewing bromance. Although Rublev won the match as well as the title, scoring 14-13, 12-17, 11-10, 17-16 in a close clash over 4 quarters.

Talking about going against Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals, Rublev said, “It will be a difficult match. Firstly because he’s a friend and I like him. Then, because he is a very great player.” Rublev further revealed that it can be difficult for a player to beat Dimitrov when he ‘feels the game’. “When he’s in good shape, he can play wonderfully,” he stated in his on-court interview.

Speaking about his Bulgarian opponent’s match against World No.2, Carlos Alcaraz, Rublev said, “This week, we could see that he played very well, especially in his match against Alcara.”

“Last time he beat me in two sets. We will see. I hope we can show some beautiful tennis and people will enjoy it,” he stated in addition.

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Andrey Rublev blames Roger Federer for distracting the crowds

At the Shanghai Masters, Andrey Rublev found himself competing not only with his opponent Ugo Humbert but also with the alluring presence of Roger Federer, since the Swiss icon was present during the match and the audience could not take their eyes off him.

Roger Federer, Andrey Rublev
(L) Roger Federer; (R) Andrey Rublev (Image via: Open Source)

“No he didn’t distract me at all. But all the people stopped focusing on the match because they were only focusing on Roger,” the Russian said as he ousted his opponent Ugo Humbert with a 6-3, 6-2 victory.

Federer had made a special appearance at the competition after being chosen as the “icon athlete” of the Shanghai Masters. He was later recognized in a ceremony as well. Roger recalled previous Shanghai matches and interacted with the crowd by addressing their inquiries.

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