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NEXT GEN ATP FINALS

November 8, 2018

Andrey Rublev

Fiera Milano, Italy

A. RUBLEV/L. Caruana

4-3, 4-1, 4-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I spoke to you last night and you were pretty upset about last night. How was it getting yourself back together for today? Because today was a completely different game and performance.
ANDREY RUBLEV: Yeah, today was, like you say, completely different performance. My attitude, I think, was the best attitude out of these three matches. I was focused. I was not complaining. I was trying to fight for every point because I know that every point for me cost a lot. So I was just trying to win each point, every point, doesn't matter the score.

And I won in three sets, so now we'll see how it's going to happen later.

Q. So did you have to really think about what happened yesterday or did you just move on to today and, against Alex, it was one of those things, or how did you feel about the game yesterday?
ANDREY RUBLEV: No. Like I told you, I was completely emotions with -- of course, I know why those emotions, but it's not important to talk of it. I have to be stronger than this, and I left it in the past and just move on.

Q. How are you going to approach the next couple of hours? Are you going to watch the matches? Not going to watch anything?
ANDREY RUBLEV: No. I mean, it's not going to change nothing if I'm going to watch the match or not. So I'm going to do my routine and, in the end, we'll see what's going to happen. I'm not going to stay for the match. I will go to hotel.

Q. How do you work on the emotional side? What do you do specifically when you're training?
ANDREY RUBLEV: No, I mean, it's simple. If you want to win matches, you need to be focused and not talking about things around. Just focus thinking about how to win. And then in the end, you just learn to do it.

When you see that the other guy is focused 100% every point, doesn't matter if he's doing stupid mistake that looks like it's impossible to do. He's quiet, still fighting, and then like this you win.

Q. What do you make of the players left in the competition now and how are you looking forward to potential semifinalists?
ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, I'm not yet semifinalist, so it's tough to say. I don't know. It's tough to say for the moment.

Q. It seems like the first tie-breaker was crucial today because after that you found your rhythm. You didn't make mistakes anymore. Maybe Liam dropped his level a little bit. Do you think this was the turning point of the match?
ANDREY RUBLEV: To be honest, the way I was playing today was -- I think out of the three matches was the worst level I showed today. But my attitude was double and triple better than in the past matches, so I compensated a little bit.

And, I mean, yeah, it was tough because I was serving for the set and I did double, I did mistake, mistake, and then was tie-break. But I was just talking to myself like, Doesn't matter. Just fight for every ball. You will still have chance.

And then, yeah, when the score started to be 6-All, 7-All, I feel that I just need to make one ball inside and probably he's going to miss, and then this happened. And then I think he did two mistakes with the first shot, and I won the set.

And then I was lucky and -- I mean, I played aggressive but I was lucky and twice I broke him in the first game, second and third set.

Q. You've played a lot of events this year. You've played a lot of tough opponents. Who would you say was the toughest that you've played?
ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, I don't want to say that I played a lot because half of the season I was not playing.

But it's impossible to say who is the toughest because, I mean, all the top players they are the toughest. All of the upcoming guys who is winning tournaments, who is competing, who is beating top players, they are tough. The guy who is 30 in the world, I mean, all the guys are tough.

These days even sometimes you play with a qualifier that is too hungry and it's tough to beat him because he have level. In the end, every guy he can show one day, two days, one week amazing things.

And the problem is sometimes we think, oh, the guy's not hungry so I'm going to win. But then when the guy start to run, he start to make everything, you don't accept this. You think, what is this? It's unreal. And then you're not ready to compete. You start to get tight and it's tough to win.

So it's impossible to say. Probably the toughest who is No. 1 now. For the moment, he's the best. So No. 1 would be the toughest.

Q. Do you remember a time when you first noticed how passionate and kind of a fiery you are on the court? Have you always been what way?
ANDREY RUBLEV: First time what?

Q. Noticed you kind of played with a lot of emotion and energy. Have you always been that way or when did that kind of come about?
ANDREY RUBLEV: Yeah, I was always that. I've been that way since I was kid. And I think -- I mean, it's give me a lot and it's also always cost me a lot. So the thing is if I put all this emotions in the right way, it will give me a lot.

But the problem for the moment -- I mean, now is better but, in the past, most of the time it was costing a lot.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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