Rublev will seek the Madrid Cup | ATP Tour

Madrid

Rublev will seek the cup in Madrid

He will play the final against Auger-Aliassime or Lehecka

May 03, 2024

By ATPTour.com/es Staff

Few players get on the ball with the vigor of Andrey Rublev, who this Friday climbed to the fifth ATP Masters 1000 final of his career at the Mutua Madrid Open. The altitude of the Spanish capital is being fertile ground for his right, an unstoppable blow in one of the most coveted tournaments for the locker room.

The world No. 8 defeated American Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3, demonstrating total bravery at the Manolo Santana Stadium. After defeating the current champion Carlos Alcaraz in the previous round, signing a match of great mental resistance, Andrey showed that he was prepared to take a step forward on the circuit.

To earn his ticket to the final at the Caja Mágica, Rublev had to keep his temper under control during a hectic start to the match. The No. 7 seed delivered his first turn of service and responded with a calm match, becoming an impenetrable wall for the American. Rublev returned the break in the next game and did not lose serve again throughout the match.

“I started the match quite tense,” admitted Rublev. “I missed a couple of opportunities, I missed a couple of easy shots. But this is part of the sport. When he broke my serve, I told myself that we were at the beginning of the game. If he managed to do a long set maybe he would start to not feel so comfortable,” Rublev said. “I managed to recover the break and the match was even.”

Andrey faces a test of endurance in Madrid as a player to beat. In an event where he appears as the only Top 10 standing, Rublev assumed favoritism, drawing one of the strongest duels of the tournament on the way to the last round. His experience in matches of great importance, with a total of 25 individual finals throughout his career, will be an enormously valuable boost in the fight for the cup.

“Mentally I am having a good tournament,” explained Rublev, who has barely delivered a partial on the way to the final. “I am channeling the energy in the right direction, without this I would not have been able to reach the final.”

After winning the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters last season, Rublev is chasing the second ATP Masters 1000 title of his career at the Caja Mágica. Fernando Vicente’s pupil, who lifted the Hong Kong trophy in the first week of the year, aspires to his second crown of the 2024 season. Rublev has a record of 15-9 in ATP Tour finals.

Now, with the option of completing one of the greatest feats of his career, Rublev will compete in the final of the Mutua Madrid Open against the winner of the duel between the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime and the Czech Jiri Lehecka – two players without a crown in the category ATP Tour gold. A horizon that Andrey observes with the utmost respect.

“Felix is ​​a player with a Top 10 level and last year he couldn’t compete too much. He is playing better every time. We faced each other at the beginning of the season and he almost beat me. And in the last match I played with Lehecka, he destroyed me in Indian Wells in two sets. “I never look at the rankings, because I know the players and I know what they can achieve.”

Fritz leaves the Mutua Madrid Open after confirming his growth on clay. The American, who reached his first final on the surface in Munich weeks ago, was one step away from competing for his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy on clay.

Did you know…?
Andrey Rublev will try to become the sixth active player with multiple ATP Masters 1000 titles on clay. The No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings, champion of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters last season, can follow in the footsteps of figures such as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz.