DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 26, 2022

Andrey Rublev

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium

Press Conference

A. RUBLEV/J. Vesely

6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Welcome to the press conference of the champion. We'll take questions.

Q. Can you talk of your fond memories of being here.

ANDREY RUBLEV: It's obvious, I think for almost every Russian Dubai is the second home. Of course, I have so many good memories on the tournament, outside the tournament. I've been here many times even without the tournament. It's amazing city. I mean, I don't need to tell you. You have everything here.

Yeah, it's always great to come here to enjoy, I don't know, the sun, the good food, I don't know, some activities, yeah.

Q. Having had a long two weeks of tennis, do you have some time to go and catch up on some of the things here, relax?

ANDREY RUBLEV: We'll see. I don't know. I mean, I'm going to fly earlier to Indian Wells to prepare. I will now take for sure a couple days of rest, maybe minimum of half a week to rest well. I want to do a good preparation for Indian Wells. We'll see what's going to happen.

Q. You talked yesterday about how you couldn't fathom how Tsitsipas had managed to do Marseille and here, too. Do you have any concept of how you did it?

ANDREY RUBLEV: To be honest, I have no idea how I did it. I'm sure I had some chance. But somehow all the week was like, I don't know, for me every ball, every line, everything, like, was for me. I don't know. This week I was super lucky. Basically just happen. I was more lucky than anyone this week.

Q. When you started this tournament, was there any one particular player you had in mind who you thought would have caused an upset?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, I was not thinking this way because, like, I came from a title. I came here without any expectation. I was thinking, like, even if I'm going to win at least one round, it's going to be something like a miracle. I was a bit in this kind of mood. I was not thinking if there is a player that I don't want to face.

Maybe if I would be here in advance to prepare for this tournament, then maybe I would have these thoughts in my head. But because I came here already the same day that I was playing, I was coming here without any expectation.

Q. There was a bad call from Carlos. You lost your cool a bit, got broken. Then you actually broke back right away. Can you talk about how you lost it for a bit and how you reined yourself in?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Of course, I was wrong to lost emotions, to let frustration go out. It's not right. I mean, that's what for referee is there, in my opinion, when something is not working well, like they knew. Many players complain about the net since the first match. Most of them happening the net and machine is not working really well. I think that's what we need referee there, to correct these things, at least when it's obvious.

When happen like today, there is obvious net, and he don't do correction because machine didn't show it was let. This it's change. In my opinion, that's his job. He need to correct these mistakes.

In the end I'm the one who get warning, I'm the one who will get fined. I mean, that's how it works. In the end then we don't need referee there. We can put just machine and that's it.

If he's there, he need to do the job if the machine is not working, in my opinion, when it's obvious. Of course there can be some calls when it's impossible, when it's crazy speed or crazy speed and you don't really hear the net. But when it's like obvious obvious, I mean...

Q. Talk about how you managed to keep yourself reined in.

ANDREY RUBLEV: Nothing. I just tell to myself that I was completely stupid that I let my frustration, like, go out because I was having everything under control. Even if I would not act on this point, basically if I would keep focused, I think I would win the game. Then because I show these emotions, I did one mistake, another mistake. Is not easy when you're facing break points. It's not easy. Maybe one point he can play good or maybe I can miss. That's it.

I just tell to myself, Forget, keep playing, that's it. You had match under the control, you can do it one more time.

Q. A question inspired by your shirt, which is orange and green. You look more like a carrot than usual. Do you have any nicknames from when you were growing up?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, when I was a kid, basically everyone in Russia was calling me ruble, which means Russian money. Now spend more time with international people, because for them is not easy to say this, so they call me Rublo, something like that.

Q. No carrots?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Carrots, no.

Q. You said this yourself before, that mentality is a big thing for you. Do you think that is what is stopping you, the difference between top five, top three and you at this stage?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Yeah, at least in my opinion, in my situation, that's exactly what's stopping me for the next step to be a better player, to show better results, is mental part.

Q. Last week and this week is almost a Grand Slam minus the rest every other day. In your opinion is it so much difference of an experience between the Grand Slam and the success you made? Is it transferrable to majors in the future?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, of course it's different compared to Grand Slams. First of all because you are playing in one place and you have every time one day off, even if you're playing best of five sets, maybe you win match in three sets, which maybe take you one hour and a half can be easily, then you have one day rest. You have more than enough time to be fresh.

Here I was playing every day, every day. Then I flew from Europe to another continent with also time difference. Play outside the same every day, every day. It's completely different story. I think it's much physically tougher.

I mean, of course everything, I can transfer this to the majors. The problem is that, like I said, in my opinion my problem that sometimes I want something really badly and I cannot manage this emotionally so I need to find a balance to be more stable mentally, to be better mentally. I think it will come also that I will have chances to go deep in a Masters or Grand Slams. Even last year I did two finals of the Masters. I had I don't know how many quarterfinals the Grand Slams. I had a chance to be in the semis.

But like I said, I didn't manage it mentally and that's why I couldn't win that matches.

Q. What kind of goals do you have in terms of tournaments you want to win? What is a favorite tournament you would like to win this year?

ANDREY RUBLEV: There is no about tournaments. Like I said already, if I want to be a better player, I want to have better results, I need to improve a lot mental part because this is the main thing I'm doing worst compared to top five players. That's it. That's the main goal.

Q. You mentioned about your coaches on court. Tell us a bit more about the role they play in terms of controlling your attitude, getting you to focus on your tennis.

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, of course, Fernando and Abraham are telling me a lot of things inside the court, outside the court. But also myself, I try to analyze, I try to always, especially with them, be open mind, listen whatever they say, whatever they are telling me, whatever they think.

They always been honest with me. They were always saying the things that they think is better for me. They never try to hide something or stuff like that. That's why I think we have a great relationship with them. We have full trust between us. That's I think is very important, especially in sport.

It's one thing when you have a good coach, but another thing to have a good connection outside the court.

Q. You're widely seen as the expert for the 500 series. Is there a player in the history of tennis that you look up to as you try to make the conversion from this level of triumph to the next one in Masters and Grand Slams?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, of course I'm looking many players. I try to see the good sides of them, like weaknesses from them. Of course, maybe when you see something that they are doing good and you can see if I try this also, and it fits to me, then of course I try to do the same.

It's everything personal. You cannot try just to copy someone. First of all, maybe it will not fit to you. If you try to copy someone, I don't think if you copy someone it will ever work. In my opinion, if I want to copy, it will never work. You have to be yourself first.

Then you need to find some things that will help you. These some little things maybe other players are doing that can fits to you or maybe not. But you need to try, you need to find. This is long process of improvement.

In general, like a human, doesn't matter inside the court, outside the court.

Q. You mentioned you were working on improving your emotions and mentality. Do you depend on your coach for that or somebody else on your team that you work with?

ANDREY RUBLEV: No, I think it's all about myself. If I want to improve mentally, if I'm ready and I will be, like, strong enough or hard on myself, I will do it.

I think mental part is not about coach. It's about you. If you want to change some things inside of you, you're the one who take responsibility. Doesn't matter who you will take on your team, you can take the best 10 or 20 specialist, they will tell you all the same things. If you don't want, you will not change these things. It's not about someone.

There is no secret about mental part and how to improve. Everybody told these things a thousand times. All the best athletes on histories, all the best philosophies, all of them, they say that many times. It's about you.

Q. How do you plan to celebrate today's win?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I don't know actually. All the time, especially the last tournaments when I was winning, I had to fly. I need to decide now how is going to be my schedule. I think my team are leaving already tonight. I need to see the schedule, to talk with them now, to see how many days I have day off, to decide what I'm going to do.

For sure I think first two days I will try to sleep as much as I can.

Q. Nastia came to a bunch of your matches. Can you talk about what it's like having someone as experienced as her as a friend? What did your run in the Olympics mean to you guys?

ANDREY RUBLEV: First of all, I feel a bit unlucky for Nastia. She have a tough injury. She will be back I think, if everything is good, everything is perfect, by the end of April.

She's living in Dubai. She's, I don't know, practicing here, doing fitness, doing recovery. She text me before I think or something that she will be on my match. She wished me good luck. That's it basically.

But, yeah, we have a great connection with her, especially what we been through with Olympic gold medal. Of course, after this it's already like a story that will be forever with us. Even if we're not going to talk to each other, we will always have great respect to each other or something, great feelings, because what we done. This is memory for all the life.

Of course, this Olympic medal, the emotions we were feeling during these matches and everything, of course it's like you been in one week through many things straight together, you know? Of course, this already been, like I said, even if we're not going to talk, we will always respect each other in a good way. If I will need any help, she can help me. Same thing other way, if she needs help, I will help her as well, so...

Q. You are 24 years old. You have 10 titles. Did your career go as you expected? Quicker? Slower?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I would just answer short, the way it goes, I'm grateful. That's it.