US OPEN

September 6, 2023

Andrey Rublev

Press Conference

D. MEDVEDEV/A. Rublev

6-4, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: Not the result you were looking for. Can you just give us your perspective on the match and the conditions this afternoon.

ANDREY RUBLEV: To be honest, I don't know what to say. I think the difference was today just when he had a breakpoints, he almost win or straightaway or from the second one, maybe it was only the last game that I was able to save couple of them. But the rest of the match, he was always from the first or second breakpoint he was breaking me.

And on his serve I think I had even more breakpoints. I didn't check, but it's my feeling I had a lot of breakpoints and chances. In the end he was able to save them more than me, and a lot of them with the serve or with the serve and one good shot. I was not able to do the same except the last game where I saved them with a good serve for good point, something like that.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. You talked about so many times how long you have known Daniil, played him so many times. How have you seen his game evolve and continue to evolve every time you have played him? Is there anything in particular lately?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, Daniil is one of the best players. He's proven this year by year, season by season, by winning many tournaments.

I don't know. Today I feel I had a lot of chances. It's just he was better in those moments or he served better or he played better and me, I was opposite. Or I didn't make first serve and I played with second and stuff like this. And in this level, these things is also very important, like, I don't know, a few times I remember I went to the net and I couldn't finish and I had not really tough volley.

These things is important and I need to improve them.

Q. Do you feel like you're getting closer to the top players, especially in these Grand Slam environments?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I don't know, to be honest. I think my ranking is what, 8 or 7 now? I did basically result of my ranking, I was at the best eight players three times this year.

So I guess I proving my ranking for the moment. We'll see later, last part of the season, how it's gonna be, so...

Q. You talked about the difficulty holding serve today. I wonder, why do you think Daniil is so tough to hold against? Do you think he's maybe better this year than he has been in years past? The statistics seem to show that.

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, this year he played amazing. I don't know how many Masters he won. So many. Even on clay.

Today, I mean, obviously the conditions were not easy, but it was for both.

But, you know, when you have, I don't know, let's say you're on a sprint and your heart rate is very high and to go to serve, I mean, I was a bit struggling, yeah. I was not able to calm down in these 20 seconds to be able to serve free. Also with all the sweat, you feel the grip is slippery.

I don't know. It's not the excuse, of course. It's just the part that was the serve was not working that well, and that's why he was able to break me much more chances than me, because I think, I'm pretty sure, I had much more breakpoints than him. So even him being serving well, I was having much more breakpoints than him. Just the thing is I wasn't able to convert them as much as he did with my serve.

Q. You probably weren't able to hear, but Daniil at one point late in the match said into a camera, A player is going to die, playing in conditions like that. Do you have concerns for your health when you're playing on a day like today?

ANDREY RUBLEV: No, I'm not even thinking about my health. I don't know. At this moment, these moments I'm thinking that, I don't know, I need to fight. Doesn't matter how is tough. I mean, the sport is not easy. And you need to be ready for everything that can happen.

In the end, I don't know. In the end, the best players, they prove that they are ready, and that's why they are the best. So I don't know. Yesterday Novak was playing in the same conditions, and nothing happened and he was able to win still the match against really a good player, against Taylor. But I feel it is really tough to beat him with his serve, and he was able to manage it really well.

So there is something about the best players, they do better or they ready better.

Q. You mentioned Novak and Taylor, that match, as well as Frances' and Shelton's match last night, how difficult it was for them to serve as they expressed. Was this the hardest serving conditions you have experienced in your career?

ANDREY RUBLEV: No, because I had matches much worse, the percentage of my serve. So of course, no, conditions were, like I say, it was not easy, but at least we were playing in the shadow. So it's sometimes I prefer to play like this than when it's completely sunny and maybe less humidity, but I don't know. And especially against Daniil. Doesn't matter the conditions. You will always run a lot. You will always get tired because you have a lot of long points.

Don't know. It's part of, anyway, it's part of the sport.

Q. The support from the Ashe crowd, they really still love you as one of the more popular players. Can you talk about their support being a positive despite this result.

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, here I can be only grateful. I don't know. Only really, really grateful for the support, for the people in general, like, you said, being these conditions, super hot, super humid, and they are still coming, supporting players, supporting tennis.

For every player it's amazing, and I think we all appreciate it. At least me, for sure, I appreciate it a lot. I can be only grateful, because in the end they are making our sport more famous and better.