AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 14, 2024

Andrey Rublev

Press Conference

A. RUBLEV/T. Seyboth Wild

7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Well done. How did you turn it around in the fifth set tiebreak down 4-love?

ANDREY RUBLEV: First I think I was the one who made problems to me because I think in the beginning I didn't play well, but I was managing my emotions very well, and I was positive.

Then when I start to be two sets to zero I start to relax a bit. I was not that much more focus. I had a really good opportunity in one moment, 15-40, and I couldn't make it. Then he broke me straightaway next game. Then he started to play little by little better and better. He start to feel the ball better. He was serving better. He was moving better. He was hitting better.

And me, when I start to feel that, I start to lose the match, or he start to play better. It's like, Okay, now I want to play again. It was almost too late because he started to play really well. I started to get a bit more emotional because I started to feel it's now or never or I go home. I started to be more emotional. I started to panic a bit more.

I had more opportunities during all the set, but I couldn't make it because the first love-40, all of them, he serve unreal. Then three match points that I had at love-40, again he didn't put not one for serve. He go for the second serve and he make all of them really hard. Not much to do.

Then on the tiebreak I was thinking, Okay, after all these chances, he deserve to win. Plus, he was 4-1 up. He deserves to win. Nothing. I don't know what else to do because now he's completely play free. He is enjoying. And me opposite. I start to become completely tight, completely blocked.

Then I was, like, Okay, he deserves to win. At least just finish the match without saying anything, and that's it. And somehow those words a bit give me relief. As soon as I had chance, because I was lucky that he didn't make a first serve, and he served a couple of times second. I returned really well and really clean, and I was able to come back. At the end of the tiebreak I think I plate well.

Q. How proud are you of not letting that negativity at the end sink this match for you? Obviously things are going bad. You have match points. You can't close. Frustration is there, but you survived. So I'm just wondering how satisfied are you with yourself for not letting that happen?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Of course, I'm really happy that I was able to win the match because it's not easy to go through. When you are losing earlier on the slams, it's tough. So of course, I'm super happy that I was able to win.

But, of course, like I was saying, I did problems to myself, by myself. Instead of to be the same focus like I was first two sets and just feel more free and to try to play better and better, I kind of, yeah, relaxed. I started to feel, Okay, I want to finish the match faster. I want to break right now, and I don't know, yeah. The relaxation almost cost me the match because he started later to play unbelievable.

Q. You said on court you were thinking about the Daniil loss to him in Paris.

ANDREY RUBLEV: I start to have this feeling like now for sure it's going to happen to me. Daniil, Daniil. Almost all the fifth set, every game at least one or two times I was thinking about what happened to Daniil because the fifth set I was inside completely panicking. But still I was serving really well on the fifth set. The serve help me a lot because all the fifth set I think he didn't have any chances. All the games was 40-15 or 40-love. The only thing that helped me a lot.

Q. What do you think it was that allowed you to manage your emotions? We've seen other matches that get tight like that, and you get very frustrated.

ANDREY RUBLEV: I started to have emotions in the fifth set. I scream couple of times. I was complaining. So the fifth set when I started to feel panic was tougher to manage emotions.

I managed I think really well in the first set when I was losing. I was just not playing well. I didn't really feel the ball, but I was super positive. That give me a chance to come back because Thiago also, I think he didn't play the same like he was playing later, and that gave me chance. Then I won the second set.

Like I said, when I start to feel better the ball, instead of to keep the same focus, I relax, and that cost me a lot. And then the fifth set it's like, okay, I turn on again. I want to play. But Thiago started to play really well. Then I start show emotions. But then, like I say, I was lucky that in most important moments somehow, yeah, I found those (indiscernible), and I was able to play good the tiebreak.

Q. Did you ask Daniil for any match tips?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I asked him how Thiago is playing because I never saw -- I only saw a bit in Roland Garros, but there Thiago played also unreal. He was hitting full with the forehand. So I knew he had really, really great forehand, but the rest of the things I didn't really know, so I asked Daniil. And he said the same thing, that he have really good forehand. Backhand is a bit more -- like forehand is better than backhand, but still with backhand he likes to go sometimes full down the line and those kind of things.

Q. I would like to ask you about the special moment of Nadal career and the match in the tunnel when he is jumping, running. I don't know if you ever feel intimidated about that?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Who? Nadal?

Q. Nadal, the match in the tunnel when he is jumping and running, how do you feel in that moment?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I don't know how do I feel. I guess every player, they have their own rituals or their own things that they like to do before the match, kind of routines. Rafa, this is his way. I think it's just the most important thing. If it works for him, then perfect. How can I feel? If it works for him, then perfect.

The most important thing that for each player to find those routine things that he will feel better, for each player to find by themself. Because maybe if you try to copy those things, maybe it can work as well. But maybe because you're different type, it's not going to work with you and you need something else.

It's just whatever works for you better, that's the best.

Q. I was wondering if you had the sort of near-death experience in the first round, if it makes you relaxed for the rest of the tournament? That you sort of feel like, Well, I survived, I can be happy and grateful and less pressure.

ANDREY RUBLEV: Of course, I hope this feeling that I almost was out will give me a bit more relief because you already kind of taste it, so you know this feeling, how it feels to be almost out.

Hopefully it will give me a bit more relief for the next round. So I hope... We'll see, but I hope.