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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 23, 2020

Andrey Rublev

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

A. RUBLEV/Y. Sugita

6-2, 6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. How do you feel physically? You were a bit ill earlier.
ANDREY RUBLEV: Physically I'm feeling better and better. I start to recover. Yeah, every day I'm feeling better.

The worst part was after the final and first two days in Melbourne. That was the worst ones. Now I'm better and better.

Q. Can you explain me maybe the secret of the success that you're having for a few months now? Rising like a rocket, undefeated this year. Anything that has changed?
ANDREY RUBLEV: No, I mean, there is not much secrets basically. Was a little bit lucky. It's not going to happen often that I'm going to win always, always. It's not going to happen like this.

Our sport, it's only one winner per week. It's cannot be always many winners. So every week someone have to lose here all the players. All the top players like Rafa, Djokovic, Federer, all the rest, there is only going to be one winner.

Even a top players will have to lose this week. So we'll see. For the moment, is just, I don't know, it happen. But for sure I'm going to lose so many more matches, and I'm going to win also.

It's more about how I'm going to lose and how I'm going to work and how I'm going to improve. Then we'll see what's going to happen.

Q. Is there anything that has clicked, that has made in your game a change, a new breakthrough?
ANDREY RUBLEV: Maybe, yes. After the wrist injury, I start to see some things little bit different in tennis. For sure it helps me also to win some matches that I was not winning before.

Q. You talked about the wrist injury. You also had a back injury. How tough was it for you not to be able to play for a few months mentally?
ANDREY RUBLEV: Yeah, I mean, like I said many times, especially with the back one, was really tough. Even when I already start to play, I was feeling that I was not still I was not there. Mentally, I was somewhere else. I was not on the court, not on the practices, I was somewhere else.

Even when I came back after the back injury, I don't know, took me four, five months to start again to feel I'm here, I'm playing tennis again, start telling to myself, Try to enjoy, you're back on court. I don't know why you're pissed or disappointed or something like that.

Then when happened wrist, I mean, in the beginning was even worst. But then finally when I play my first tournament, and actually I lost my first match, it was in Halle, I was 7-6 in the third. Inside I was feeling like even though that I lost a little bit happy that finally I'm here, I'm playing, I'm enjoying.

I don't know, from that time I start to play better and better every week.

Q. Do you think some success of Medvedev at the US Open, of Khachanov the year before at Bercy, helped you to believe that to win is possible even on a consistent basis?
ANDREY RUBLEV: I would say not really. Karen and Daniil, there is so many guys like Zverev, Tsitsipas, Alex de Minaur, so many young guys that also doing so good, there is not one guy that I would say because he won the big tournament, I start to believe I also can win.

In general, I feel like all the young guys, they are playing so good, they are doing so well. Of course, you start to feel, Okay, they're doing so well, I also need to be close to them to try to play also good.

I don't know, it's like a motivation, I don't know, something like that.

Q. What is the impression about the opponent today? What did you think of the conditions to play outside?
ANDREY RUBLEV: I know Sugita for a long time because I play I think this was my third time against him. All actually on the Grand Slams. I play first time on the US Open, two times on the Australian Open. I know him really well.

I know his style of the game that he like to play fast, flat. Most likely I was ready for this game, yeah.

Q. You're going to play probably David Goffin in the next round. What do you think about that matchup?
ANDREY RUBLEV: David is really good player already for many years. He always top 10. If it's not top 10, it's 11 or 12. But always on a really, really high position. Really consistent player.

Always winning good tournaments, great matches, like we see at the ATP Cup. He beat Rafa.

I mean, he can play really, really amazing. So we'll see. For the moment, he's better than me. I mean, better ranking. Also results is much better than mine. We'll see.

It will be interesting match for me. I mean, it's going to be all pressure on him because he's going to be favorite.

Q. We know you're a big Rafa fan. When you were growing up, what are some of the memories you have watching Rafa's matches? Did you watch the 2008 Wimbledon final?
ANDREY RUBLEV: With Roger?

Q. Yes.
ANDREY RUBLEV: Yes.

Q. What was that like?
ANDREY RUBLEV: I remember I think first final Rafa against Roger at Wimbledon, he lost in four sets. Then next year he lost in five sets. And I was saying, Okay, this year I hope he is going to win. In the end, that was the match he won in five sets.

Q. Who were you rooting for in the US Open final with Rafa played Daniil?
ANDREY RUBLEV: I don't know, I mean, Daniil is my good friend. I mean, basically of course I don't want to upset Rafa, but I was sleeping (smiling).

I start to watch, I remember I wake up early morning, something like that, they were still playing. It was fifth set. I watched the fifth set from the final.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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