MUBADALA CITI DC OPEN

July 31, 2024

Andrey Rublev

Press Conference

A. RUBLEV/L. Van Assche

4-6, 6-3, 6-4

THE MODERATOR: You outlasted a rain delay and came back from a set down to win. What was the key to victory today?

ANDREY RUBLEV: The key I think was that after the rain delay I was able to start to be more active. I start to play a bit better. I was not missing that much. I was serving more consistently. That was the difference.

The first set, I was playing horrible. I was missing many easy shots. Could not even put two balls in a row. Yeah, I missed a lot of easy balls without reason, without sense. In the end I start to feel super tight. He start to feel confident.

The rain delay, I was able to calm myself down, to think about the match, to understand what I was doing wrong. When I came back, I was able to just to start to play without trying to go for crazy shots, without something. Okay, let's play the rally. Little by little I start to play better. Yeah, that was the key.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You said you calmed yourself down during the rain delay. What did you do to get yourself in a better state?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Nothing. I mean, I was just talking to myself. Like I said, the first set I was playing really bad. In the end I get so tight, I was thinking too much. I was thinking how, like, can I miss those balls. It's not acceptable because there was no even thinking. I was missing without reason sometimes out of nowhere.

After the rain delay, the first half hour maybe the thinking was, Okay, it's over, I'm not going to make it, I'm not going to come back. I'm playing not good now.

After one hour, I start to talk again. Okay, maybe we'll see. Maybe I will fight a bit. We'll see how it goes. Maybe I will feel a bit better.

After one hour and a half, two hours, it was, I'm going to try to sure. I'm going to fight. Doesn't matter if I need to make five balls super slow, I will play five balls super slow to not miss.

In the end I was able to start to play rallies. Little by little, yes, I was able to play.

Q. Your serve helped.

ANDREY RUBLEV: Yes, the serve was also good. It help me a lot.

Q. Having played in Croatia last week. Are you feeling acclimated?

ANDREY RUBLEV: No, I feel tough because you can see the first set I was struggling a lot. I was not in a rhythm. I was not understanding where to play, how to play. The first match on hard court was not easy. It's really important that I was able to turn around with the game that I had today. I was able to win the match. Those matches are very important and they give a lot of confidence.

Q. Frances said sometimes playing a hard first match gets you into the tournament.

ANDREY RUBLEV: I don't know. When you play good and you win matches, it's something normal, especially if you are playing players who is not top 10, like when they are lower ranking than you. For everyone, they think you should win. If you're playing normal and you're beating them, it's like nothing happen.

But it's not easy. When you're playing horrible tennis, you feel like today is not your day. Somehow you're winning those matches, they are much more special than when you're playing normal and you're winning much easier.

Q. Your fourth time in Washington. What is it like being back? What do you enjoy here?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I like this tournament a lot. I like the city. I don't know. I always enjoy myself here. I always like U.S. swing. I'm happy to be back. We'll see.

Like I said, I'm happy that I was able to win today. Tomorrow I have another opportunity. I will do my best. I feel a bit better now. I feel more confident. Hopefully tomorrow it will be even better match.

Q. When you spend 18 hours on a plane, do you typically give yourself a day to get over the jet lag or will you go right off the plane and onto the practice court?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Yes, I flew all the day. Three hours in a car to get to Venice. Three hours one flight, nine hours another flight. I arrived Saturday night.

Of course, I didn't went straight to practice. I went straight to the hotel, to my room. Then Sunday morning, yeah, I went to the practice. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, I practice. Wednesday, today, I played.

Q. What was the travel itinerary?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I played Umag. You have three options to fly from Umag: Trieste, it's Italy, Venice, and Ljubljana is Slovenia. All of them minimum one-hour drive. Venice was two and a half, three hours.

Q. Then a nine-hour flight?

ANDREY RUBLEV: No. Then three hours Venice to Madrid. Then Madrid to Washington, nine hours' flight. And my bags didn't arrive. They arrive last night finally.

Q. Your bags?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Yeah. They arrive last night.

Q. Equipment, too?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Everything, yes. I was with nothing here for three days. Only three racquets.