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U.S. OPEN

September 6, 2017

Andrey Rublev

New York, NY, USA

R. NADAL/A. Rublev

6-1, 6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Obviously a difficult loss, but if you can talk about the opportunity to be out there with Rafa, somebody you have spoken about and who you greatly admire and what that experience was like in regards to your development as a player?
ANDREY RUBLEV: You mean in general which experience I get from this match?

Q. Yeah.
ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, it's great experience to play quarterfinal against world No. 1, Rafael Nadal. I'm really happy. I will try now to practice harder to improve everything for the next time if we play each other to try to compete better.

Q. Rafa said in his postmatch interview on court, he said you're definitely one of the next generation of upcoming players, somebody he would expect to see have a lot of success. To hear the likes of Nadal say that about you, how does that make you feel?
ANDREY RUBLEV: Of course, I mean, it's a big honor for me to hear this from him, and, I mean, now I have to prove that he's maybe right. I don't know (smiling).

I have to work as hard as I can, and the main thing now is to try to keep working harder and harder, to improve, because I still have a lot of things to improve.

This match told me how far I am and how much I need to improve, so now is time to try to be better and become stronger.

Q. I don't want to sound hard on you, but if tomorrow you could read in the newspapers that Nadal gave you a lesson, would you get angry?
ANDREY RUBLEV: No. He gave me a lesson: 1, 2, and 2.

It's a great experience. I mean, I feel that I have shots to play with these guys, but still in general, they are still much better than me. This is the main thing, to try to improve all this weakness to my legs, to the fans, all these things. We will see what happens next.

Q. What do you think which part of the game you are most far from Rafa and the top players? Physically or...
ANDREY RUBLEV: No, physically I'm strong, actually. It's more with the legs. I'm not that fast, like top players. They are faster than me. You can see, for example, today, I was hitting sometimes as hard as I can, and I need to hit four, five shots to make a winner. For him sometimes, he need to hit much slower and he need maybe one or two shots. This is the main thing.

Q. Did you expect him to be so strong? Of course you played in Mallorca, you know him, you have seen him a thousand times, but to face him on such important day...
ANDREY RUBLEV: No, of course, I expect this. Today exactly happen what I expect, the way he was playing. I upset really today only with my serve, because if I were serving like I was serving first rounds, I know that I can play this match much better. The score will not be 1, 2, 2. Maybe 3, 4, and 4.

Because today I was serving not like all the other days. I start to serve well, only in the third set at 3-1 where I start to serve. My serve was stronger and it was much better percentage. And all the rest, the serve was, I feel, so much pressure on my serve. The serve was not good.

Q. Describe the state of your nerves when you walked out onto that court today.
ANDREY RUBLEV: No, when I walk on the court, I feel so good. I don't know. I feel like this is it. When you feel this -- I don't know. I feel when I walk on the court, I feel that I don't want to go out from the court, you know. This is great emotions. I would like to play on these courts more and more. I will try to do my best.

Q. I know it's too early after the match, but do you mind to say a few words about the next big Davis Cup about Hungary and Budapest? What's your thoughts?
ANDREY RUBLEV: Yeah, I know both of the Hungary guys, first and second number, and we'll see. I mean, of course it will be tough, because we are playing not at home. It's gonna be big crowd for Hungary guys.

But we will see. We're going to try our best, and I hope if we have chances, we're gonna have chances to win if we try our best. So we will see what's going to happen.

Q. One year ago you played in Seville Challenger. What do you feeling better?
ANDREY RUBLEV: What?

Q. Now? Do you feel better, your play?
ANDREY RUBLEV: Everything. Since last year, I did a huge improve. That's it. Just because my team was working hard with me, and we did a lot of improve, I mean, yes, improvements. My game, physically fitness, everything, shot, serve, returns, everything, and now when the results are coming now after one year, and I feel much better.

Q. Will you watch the Federer match later on? Do you think that anyone can stop Rafa in the final if he gets there?
ANDREY RUBLEV: Yeah, probably I'm going to watch at my room, the hotel, Federer and Del Potro. This is the match, this one is, I mean, when these guys are playing, it's amazing. I mean, you can learn a lot from these matches.

It's tough questions, because Nadal, Federer, Del Potro, all these guys, they are one of the best ones, and all of them, they can win this tournament. You never know. Is just depends. Is gonna depends few shots, who feel better, who feel more fresh, and we just gonna see it in a few days.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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