Watch: “Let Novak Djokovic sign it” Andrey Rublev’s heart touching act after winning Serbia Open
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Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev
Winning players have started signing balls for fans following matches at ATP events in recent years. Andrey Rublev was given the balls to sign after defeating Djokovic in the Serbia Open final while the audience chanted “Nole, Nole.” However, he opted to decline the honour, offering that Djokovic should do it instead with the reasoning that fans probably wish for his signature more.
In the end, Djokovic accepted his offer, but only if Rublev agreed to sign it as well. Both of them eventually autographed the balls that were distributed to the audience. After the final, the players exchanged warm words, with Andrey Rublev praising the spectators and Djokovic referring to him as a great champion and excellent guy.
“It’s an honour to share the court with you”- Andrey Rublev
Rublev called Djokovic “one of the strongest tennis players in history” during his trophy ceremony speech, and said it was an honour to share the court with him. The 24-year-old said he was looking forward to meeting Djokovic again, before praising the fans for their encouragement and expressing the desire to defend his title next year.
“You are one of the strongest tennis players in history,” Andrey Rublev said of Djokovic in his speech. “For me, it’s an honour to share the court with you, I will never be able to do everything you have done. I hope you can continue playing for so many years, I can’t wait to face you again.”
“In general, I feel so great here, it’s amazing,” he continued. “It’s an amazing city and I really enjoy my time here and to win a title here, I feel double special. Hopefully, I see you next year.”
Andrey Rublev slams Wimbledon’s decision by labelling it as “complete discrimination”
Rublev won his third title of the season just days after denouncing Wimbledon’s “complete discrimination” against Russian and Belarusian players. Due to the invasion of Ukraine, Wimbledon has barred all Russian and Belarusian players from competing in this summer’s Grand Slam competition. The ATP and WTA, as well as a number of players, including world number one Novak Djokovic, slammed the decision, calling it “crazy”. Nevertheless, Rublev now has the same number of tour-level championships as Spaniard Rafael Nadal in 2022, having won tournaments in Marseille and Dubai in February.
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Pritha Ghosh
(414 Articles Published)