ROLEX SHANGHAI MASTERS

October 8, 2023

Andrey Rublev

Mixed Zone

A. RUBLEV/Q. Halys

6-4, 7-5

Q. Congratulations on your win today. That was a really solid all-around performance.

ANDREY RUBLEV: Thank you. Yeah, it was really tough in a way that Quentin, his best weapons is the serve and return. With him you need really to return good and to serve good. Today I think I was serving one of my best matches since awhile. The same with return, if I had the ball on the racket I was bringing everything back. Yeah, so I was able to do really good with returning of serve and that's why it helped me a lot to win today.

Q. You've been to Shanghai a few times now. What, how happy are you to return and what do you make of the tournament?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I'm happy to be back. Shanghai is really nice tournament. The city is really nice. I don't know, I enjoy myself here. Now they changed the hotel and the official hotel is much better than it was before, so it's even the facilities are even better, so not much to say. There is many good restaurants and, in general, the food in the club is good as well, so I'm just enjoying myself here.

Q. Seems like you have a lot of fan support out there as well. Do you enjoy that interaction with fans?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I can be only grateful. I mean, I didn't expect because last time when I been in China was nothing similar to what is happening this year. I don't know. I was really surprised. I am really surprised and I can be only grateful and, yeah, for this, for such a warm welcome like that and support that I'm receiving, it's really something special.

Q. Two titles this year. Do you feel like the goals that you set for yourself this season are on track?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I don't know. I don't really have a goal set, to be honest. The goal is to improve, to be better as a player. Then if I, somehow I can win big titles, even better. If not, keep working.

I don't know. Of course, I would like to go farther in the Slams, but this year I did three quarterfinals, and I never done this before, so it's also good achievement. Monte Carlo title. Now is the goal to try to qualify for Turin and we'll see what's going to happen.

Q. We have seen a few seeds lose early at this tournament, including Medvedev today. Does any of that give you more a sense of opportunity?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, I think Daniil is a different draw (laughing). So, I mean, in case of Daniil, not at all, because he's in a different part of the draw and I can face him only in the final. To be in the final you need to beat all the top players on the way besides Daniil.

So, if we talk about Daniil, no. In this case, I mean, if I would maybe have to play him next round, then you can ask if there is a better opportunity now or not, because the way Daniil played this season, it's something unreal. I think he lost only two or three tournaments and beat earlier the rest, was minimum semifinal, final winner, so, yeah, he played unreal this season.

I don't know, I mean, that he lost here, it's sometimes can happen. To most of the players it's happened more often. He did just final last week, so feels normal.