MUTUA MADRID OPEN

May 3, 2024

Andrey Rublev

Press Conference

A. RUBLEV/T. Fritz

6-4, 6-3

THE MODERATOR: How happy are you about your performance today?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Of course I'm really happy. I'm happy to be in the final of Madrid for the first time. I don't know. I didn't expect that. I'm really happy, because it was one of the tournaments that I would like to go deep, especially I had great memories from Davis Cup here, and now I'm in a final. So I'm happy.

THE MODERATOR: Questions.

Q. For you, the only court that doesn't suit your game is grass, because with your strokes? Madrid is your home, for sure. But the altitude and the way you play very flat, it can be an influence or what?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Yeah, that's why I don't really like altitude, because I like to play aggressive, I like to play hard, and with altitude it's not easy. You need to take care of the ball more. You cannot play that free.

So that's why I don't really like altitude, but here it's not that high, so you are still able to control the ball.

Grass, I don't know, I did well last season. I did final Halle twice, quarterfinal Wimbledon. But we don't have that many tournaments also on grass compare other surface.

So I played last year only two tournaments on grass. I did final Halle and quarterfinal Wimbledon. So for the two tournaments, it's not bad, but we don't have many -- the grass season is very short.

Q. You see many injuries, Medvedev, Alcaraz, Sinner. Daniil said that the more matches you play, the more risks to have injuries.

ANDREY RUBLEV: Depends. I mean, it's like every day you go on court or practice, it's a risk, because you practice full, you give full intensity, so in the end, doesn't matter what you do, every day is a risk. But we are not sitting at home on a bed. We are going out anyway.

It's more on the details in the moment. When you feel well, when you feel physically well, of course, then less chances something can happen. When you are not doing things right or when you are really tired or you have some issue with the body, of course if you try to practice, you will make the risk higher to get more injury.

Each player is responsible by himself, so in the end, you need to know your body where you can push over the limits or where you need to slow down a bit, because in the end, every day is a risk for everywhere in life.

Q. Since this is the first time you have gone to the final over one of these two-week events, how do you feel about these new two-week events?

ANDREY RUBLEV: It's tough. I mean, tough question, because there is some things that I feel good about, some things I feel not good about. For example, I feel good about that now I have one day rest. I can recover a bit. I can recover physically a bit and be more ready for Sunday.

Then of course mentally it's a bit tougher, because you need to stay focused for two weeks, not only one week. So mentally maybe you get a bit more, by the end of two weeks, you get a bit more exhausted than if you play one-week event.

So there is pluses and minuses, so now in this position, of course I like I have one day, I can rest, I can recover, I can do treatments to be full ready for Sunday.

Q. It's not always easy to back up a big win with another one. Can you tell us the last 48 hours, how did they go for you since you beat Alcaraz to now? What was the key to kind of stay focused and not get too excited about that win?

ANDREY RUBLEV: You mean the next couple of hours after the match of Alcaraz?

Q. The last two days.

ANDREY RUBLEV: Oh, last two days? No, everything was fine. Basically was the same things that I'm doing now. Cool down, shower, media, press. Then I went to eat a bit.

I went to do treatment, and then it was already 9:00 p.m. I went hotel, I stayed relaxed. I get a bit more attention in social media because of the match of Alcaraz, but it's tough. You cannot check everything, so in the end, of course I replied to some friends that I know, but the other rest of it, I don't know, because it was a bit too many so you cannot control.

Then I used one day off, I practiced a bit, stay relaxed, and I'm going to do same this time.

Q. Sorry, I meant more mentally, because sometimes it can mean so much to you, or how did you stay...

ANDREY RUBLEV: No, I mean, mentally was fine. I think I learn in those things to don't get overexcited, I hope. I don't know, but I hope. So I can react more a bit calmer to don't overreact.

Q. Do you consider this is the week where you were the most calm on tour?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Yes, I guess so. I mean, one of the most, maybe also Wimbledon last year. This week a bit, yeah, also.

Q. At the beginning of the week you said that obviously things can change quickly in tennis. You said it on court as well. Can you explain, from your opinion, why that is? Why can things change so quickly?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Because our sport, we have events every week, and we have big tournaments also very often, so we don't have to wait, like, in some sports you need to wait couple of months or something. So when you are not performing well, you know, you need to wait for couple of months. It's mentally tough. In tennis, the good thing that almost every week we have a chance or at least every month, for sure.

The season also, on top of that, is very long, and it's normal to have up-and-downs. The good thing when you have too much downs in one moment, you should go up. You cannot always lose in the first round. At least the good thing is more you lose in the first round, then there is more chances, the next week you have more chances to win a couple of matches.

So in the end, I guess, this was the week (smiling).

Q. Is it easy to remind yourself of that?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, sometimes it's not easy. Of course especially when you're doing well, like, I was doing well in the beginning of the season. Of course when you're doing well and suddenly you start to do not that well, of course it's not easy to remind, but then when it happens already week over week, in one moment it's like doesn't matter. Three weeks or four weeks, five weeks is already not really changing anything. If you losing three first rounds or five first rounds, it's the same thing. Is more you lose in first round is easier was to upset.

Q. The Dubai episode was like a click for you to be more calm or something like this?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I don't know. It's tough question. I had many, many, how you say, warnings in life already that show me that I need to be more calm, so was not only with Dubai but was in general many times that I was close to do something not good, and I was lucky that everything went well.

So yeah. I had a lot of warnings already to be more calm, so I don't know. I would like to think that it's more that I'm getting more improvement, me improving, and not because of the "warnings." I would like to believe that it's me who is the one who is improving. Doesn't matter the situations that I had.

Q. We obviously don't know who you're going to play so I will ask you about them separately. With Jiri, Medvedev and Rafa both said they practiced with him before the tournament and lost to him in practice and that he's been playing...

ANDREY RUBLEV: With who?

Q. Jiri Lehecka. Rafa and Medvedev said they practiced with him and lost and that he's been playing amazing. Did you hit with him at all?

ANDREY RUBLEV: No, but he destroy me in Indian Wells (smiling). I can see that when he is feeling the ball and he's hitting, it's tough to play against him.

Q. And how would you look at if it's Felix?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Felix, the same thing. All our matches that we played was always drama, always three-sets matches. Very close. The last one we played Rotterdam, I don't know how many match points I saved.

I don't know. Both of them are tough. There is no preference.

Q. With Fernando Vicente, you have been many years. Not only a tennis question. His character? He calms you, or he's also...

ANDREY RUBLEV: No.

Q. How do you suit with him?

ANDREY RUBLEV: He calms me, for sure. He calms me. He's super nice, super funny. It's always nice to spend time with him outside the court, yeah. Perfect.