MIAMI OPEN PRESENTED BY ITAú

April 2, 2021

Andrey Rublev

Press Conference

H. HURKACZ/A. Rublev

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Of course a tough loss today, but what's the best that you can get from this Miami tournament?

ANDREY RUBLEV: That it been it's great week for me. I did my first semis. That I'm playing really consistent every week I go deep in the tournament.

I mean, yeah, today was not my day. Hurkacz play really well and he deserve to win. That's it. Not much to say more. Now it's time to go back to work hard to be ready for the clay season.

Q. Congratulations on a great tournament. You had a terrific one here, as did a lot of the younger guys, the so-called Next Generation. I'm wondering without the big three in Miami, the way this tournament has gone, what do you think it says about the future of men's tennis overall and some of the prospects out there?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I think the future of tennis is, it looks great because the generation is changing. The NextGen players, they are different. I don't know. They look different compare previous ones.

I don't know. I think they have charisma. I don't know. We'll see. But all of them, they have really great game. So we'll see what's gonna happen with the time. Time will show.

Q. Congratulations on your first Masters semifinal. It was a good run. Today was a tough day for you, and I wonder if it was the conditions or you're just not feeling the ball, or was it something that Hubert did specifically that made you uncomfortable?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, conditions in the end is for everyone the same. He was in the same conditions. So I cannot blame conditions because we were equal.

Is just maybe I couldn't handle a bit pressure that well and he was playing quite well. And that's it.

I still was close. I almost come back. But it was not enough. I was not playing that aggressive like normally I'm playing. I was a bit more defensive. So, yeah, I didn't probably handle pressure, emotions well, and that was the key.

Q. What do you find most difficult in the matchup with Hubert's game? What is it that he does that actually bothers you the most?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I would say it's not about him. Today was more about me that I couldn't handle the pressure. I couldn't handle the emotions. So was more about this. I was not, yeah, like I said, I wasn't playing that aggressive. I was not taking that forehand that often like I'm doing. I was not putting that pressure.

So he was the one who was dictating more. I think for sure he have more winners than me. So he was better. He was better today, and that's why he deserve to win. Simple.

Q. Wondering if you were more nervous than usual today? Were there nerves before the match or was it just when you got on the court that you were feeling that way?

ANDREY RUBLEV: No, I would say when I start probably too lose, then I start to feel that is not going my way, that, yeah, and I start to be more tight.

But in the end, yeah, I almost come back. But was not enough because, yeah, like I said, Hurkacz, he was the one who was dictating. He was the one who was controlling the match.