DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 4, 2023

Andrey Rublev

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/A. Rublev

6-2, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. Just take us through the match and what are your thoughts on it.

ANDREY RUBLEV: I don't know. Not much to say. The first game was a bit unlucky. We had tough, tough game that I lost my serve. Basically that's it. I don't know.

He was playing really well today. If we compare our match with Torino, he was playing really well. It's tough. It's tough to play those players when they serve 200 with that high percentage of the first serve and you're not making that often your first serve.

His serve was helping him a lot of times. In every game he was winning a lot of points just because of the serve. In my case, maybe I was winning one or two points, and the other eight or seven I have to play rally, long rally. It's tough.

Often I was serving second serve. At this level it's a huge advantage when you know that the guy serving a lot of seconds and you are going, and you serve first, you making many of them. It's a huge advantage.

It's tough because every game I had to work on my serve. On returning, he was winning so many free points.

Q. You went to the net 18 times.

ANDREY RUBLEV: My record (smiling).

Q. You were actually successful 12 of those times. How difficult is it to try to consistently do that against Daniil?

ANDREY RUBLEV: It's a process I think. Obviously with the players like Daniil, you have to go to the net. If you want to finish the rally, you have to. It's a process to learn exactly how to finish.

One thing, when you practice your volley on just practices, you're doing it maybe better and well. Another thing to do it when it's, I don't know, 30-All, 3-All, 30-All, and to do the same is completely different.

You need to face those things. If you want to be a better player, you need to start to do some (indiscernible) tournaments, as well. I guess today was one of these days that I was going more often to the net. Looks like sometimes I was doing well and sometimes looks like I was doing everything well but then suddenly I was doing stupid mistakes.

It's a process you need to face and learn how to, yeah, deal and how to play those moments.

Q. On Daniil's comments on court about Tsitsipas, what was your reaction to that?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I was a bit late over there, to be honest. In the beginning, I didn't understand what he meant. Then I say, Who was the one that was saying that? Then I realized (smiling). I was a bit late order.

I don't know, not much to say. When Stefano said that, I didn't even take it personal because I know I'm also emotional, and I know how you can say some things and do some things when you are under the emotions. I mean, you don't need to walk far away, you can see some moments of my behavior on court that are not really nice.

Of course, I understand him at that moment, so I didn't even take it personal. Plus, on top of that, later on he come to me and he apologized. Even more - how you say - good from him that he did it.

Nothing to say.

Q. You almost successfully defended the title. As a defending champion, how do you think the aura of a champ could affect you positively or negatively?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I don't know. I think it's positive. After title, I never did final next year straightaway. It's first time I won a title and at least I did a final. I think it's positive.

Often what was happening is I was losing in the first rounds of the tournament if I won the title previous year. So I think it's a positive. Plus I beat some players that I never beat before. I beat Botic, I beat Sascha. I took revenge from players who I lost last time, like Filip Krajinovic.

I think in general was a really positive week. The match that I won against Davidovich, being a set and 6-1 on tiebreak, something I never done in my life before.

Every match was a positive thing. I think that week was really good. My first final of the season and we just started the season. Hopefully it's the beginning. Hopefully I will keep practicing, keep improving because there is so many things I feel that I have to improve. I'm super motivated and super excited for upcoming weeks. We'll see.

Of course, it's not easy when you're losing in a final, but I'm really looking forward and I'm really positive now for the work that my team done and for the sacrifices they are doing to me.

We'll see. I'm super motivated now for America swing, to go full there, to see what's going to happen.

Q. Oftentimes you hear players say the great players make the court feel very small. In Daniil's case, he makes it feel really big because he stands so far back. Is it disorienting playing him?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I don't know. I don't think that way, but it's true. With Daniil, because he stay far away, he make you think much more because you have much more options. If you're calm and smart enough, you can use it in the right way.

As soon as you get a bit panic or stress, you start to maybe think too much, and in the end you only go, like, under control of emotions, then you do a lot of mistakes in a row.

That's what happened to me and to many other players when they are playing with Daniil because they see so many options. Under the stress and pressure, they think too much, then they just do stupid mistakes because with other player, this the only way I can do is this, you don't need to think. With him, yeah, you need to think a lot.

When you think a lot with Daniil, you need to be really calm, then you can use it in a right way.

Q. (Question regarding the music cover Andrey did in the past and the type of music he listens to.)

ANDREY RUBLEV: First of all, I think I answered this question a thousand times maybe. I don't know.

Second, I never listen to music before matches. I just like to listen music when I'm on the road.

About the cover, I explain this thousand times. I was just a guest there. Because I like music a lot, I wanted to just to see how it's inside the studio, how the job are making those things. I ask my friends can I join just to see what you're doing.

They say, We have better idea. If you want, you can have little part.

I said, Okay.

But I was teenager.

Q. You also learned how to play music?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I learned guitar, but I'm not even amateur there. I don't know. Yeah, I was taking some lessons when I was a kid, and when I was more bigger, a couple years ago.

You need to play every day like I'm playing tennis to play good. If you are playing three times a month, it's nothing. It's like if you never play sport, you do three time a month, maybe you can do like this over the net, but you cannot say you're a tennis player. Here is the same. You need to practice hours every day to be able to play.

Q. Daniil dropped out of the top 10 briefly three weeks. Now he's on this run. In your opinion as a player, how important do you think it is to have Daniil at the top for the sport in general?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I don't know. I mean, to be honest, I don't know what to say. I'm not thinking. I stop to think on others few years ago, so I don't really know.

I think it's a good for Daniil that he's doing this, for his career, for his life, that he's achieving those things. Three titles in a row, it's unreal, in a different part of the countries. What else to say? I don't know.

Q. I can rephrase it. What do you think he brings to the game?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I think he brings funny moments. I think he brings entertainment because sometimes the way he acts, he do a bit - I don't know - not standard things. Sometimes I feel he have no coordination. When he do the weird things on court, they look so funny.

On top of that, like I was saying, he's a real, real great inspiration because he's very educated, he's very smart guy. Yeah, the way he play tennis, you can learn a lot of things by watching him.

Q. You and Daniil grew up playing tennis together. You have grown into solid, fine men together through tennis. In which way do you support each other in terms of character as well as tennis players throughout the years? What has the special relationship yielded to you as you move along through life and your careers?

ANDREY RUBLEV: No idea, to be honest. I mean, I think, first of all, in tennis -- I don't know, to be honest.

Like I said, I'm not thinking on the others. I stop to think on the others many years ago. I realize the best way is just to focus on yourself.

With Daniil, we have great connection outside the court. We understand each other really well. We have very easy friendship. We can laugh at stupid things. That's what makes it even more easy, comfortable. If we play some events together and we have to spend time together, I don't know, we have always nice time.

Tennis-wise, is like I was playing on court, I have such a big respect for him because since he was a kid he was always fighter. No matter what, he could have only one racquet in his bag, his racquet could be broken, and he would still fight till the last point. He will play lobs for 20 minutes just to still fight and win the match.

So many kids at our age, as soon as they see lob, they were tanking the matches. He was the one, doesn't matter, I have broken racquet, only one racquet, broken shoes, whatever, he will be there, he will fight. He's still the same.

It's a huge inspiration, like I was saying. Nothing much to say.