OMNIUM BANQUE NATIONALE

August 11, 2024

Andrey Rublev

Press Conference

A. RUBLEV/M. Arnaldi

6-4, 6-2

THE MODERATOR: First of all, congrats, Andrey. You just finished your collections of all nine Masters 1000 quarterfinals yesterday and then got into the semi in Canada for the first time, and now you're in the final. How does it feel?

ANDREY RUBLEV: It feels great. Yeah, it feels great to be in my first Canadian final, especially for many years I was not. I think I won only one match in Toronto out of how many years I played here. So it's great feeling to be in the final.

Not much to say. I just want to rest well, to recover well, and to be ready for tomorrow.

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. Pretty emotional win yesterday against the No. 1 in the world. Today you made it look easy, honestly, on the court. Are you surprised how well you played given that you had two matches yesterday and what's happening?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, today was completely different match. With Jannik I had nothing to lose. I know the only one way maybe I will have chance to beat him is to play one way, and I had no other choice.

So if I wanted to win the match, yeah, I was kind of forced to play that way. Today is different because I have more pressure. It looks like I have more chances to win. Even Matteo is really a great player, and last time he beat me.

Everything was different, the style of the game, because it was windy today. He likes to break the rhythm. He do a lot of slices. He do a lot of slow lobs. Then suddenly he can hit really hard out of nowhere, counterattack you.

It's tough when they don't give you rhythm. You need to be really, really focused. With the wind, it was not easy, so the game was a bit different. It was not that open tennis compared yesterday with Jannik where we were just shooting. Today, it was different.

Then after the rain delay when I come back, I was playing much, much better. I was more focused. I was able to dictate my terms. I was able to play more aggressive. Then, yeah, I'm happy that I was able to take revenge since Roland Garros.

Q. When is a rain delay like the one you had tonight -- do you like to take that opportunity? How do you take advantage of an opportunity like this?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, obviously, of course, I think not many -- I don't know which players they like to have rain during the match that they need to stop for another one, two hours, but I just learned that I don't need to think. It's part of the sport. I cannot do anything about it. So just let it pass I guess, don't think, and to try, yeah, to use every situation to help yourself.

Okay, like you said, if it's rain, they delayed the match? Okay, I try to use this time to be better as soon as I need to come back to the court, if there is something else. So I try to kind of change.

Instead of to stress... like, Oh, no, it's rain, we need to wait... I try to take this time to get ready when the moment will come. So something like that.

Q. It sounds like you prefer being the underdog to the favorite. Has it always been that way even through the juniors, or is it something that's changed over your career?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I don't know, to be honest. Both sides have good and bad effects. When you are underdog, it's good that you have nothing to lose. Kind of you have less expectations, so you are kind of playing more free. Because of that, sometimes you are winning matches.

But the bad thing of that when you are underdog, depends who you play, because there is some players who are the favorite, and only with the name they kind of beat already the players, you know? They don't need even to do much. They just need to step on court, and they already won the match just because of the name and respect.

So when you are underdog, it's not happening to you. That's the bad side of underdog that you don't have this power. When you're favorite, you have this power of respect that many matches you win just because you step on the court already and you are a favorite kind of with a name.

Yes, that's a power, but also the bad side that you have much more expectations. You have much more, I don't know, in your head that I have to win or whatever. When things are not going your way, you are stressing also much more. So that's the bad side of that. There are pluses and minuses.

Q. I really liked the way you talked yesterday about depression and mental health. I don't know. Do you have any advice maybe for young people too that are struggling with those problems?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Tough question because I also need that advice (laughing). I mean, the one thing I guess I hope I learn and I would like to learn when I was more younger is to... how you say this... to do everything awareness. Like any decision you take or any feeling you are feeling or emotions, to be awareness of that, where exactly it's coming from, why, and to be awareness that it's your decision.

Not because... how you say... most of the people put this in your head and you kind of thinking that way, but you are not understanding that it's not really your opinion or because they educate you that way or something.

So to be awareness of each step, each feeling you are having, to make sure it's your own because when you're living the life how you would like, you feel much better. That's it.

Otherwise, it's just kind of a lie to yourself. Then that's why I guess we all start to struggle because deep inside we understand that something is wrong, something is wrong, but we don't want to accept this.

Q. Andrey, you don't have to answer this if it's too personal, but have you been working with someone or getting some help from outside to try to figure all of this out, or are you trying to figure it out yourself?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Everything. I was trying to figure out a lot by myself. I was trying to figure out those things a lot with a different psychologist, with a different courses, but who helped me a lot and he make me realize everything is Marat Safin.

How funny it sounds, but it's true. He's the one, yeah, who helped me. After Wimbledon we had a really nice talk. Yeah, he helped me a lot, so big thanks to him.

Q. Before you talked about those players that step on the court and already has won match. Do you feel like you're one of them? Who are those players?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Depends. Not always, but few times I felt that I won the match just because the guy was too afraid, and I didn't even need to do anything.

But obviously for sure Alcaraz, Sinner... who else... Medvedev. I think most of the players as soon as they see Daniil in the draw, they don't want to play because they know I need to play one rally for 40 shots, and half of the draw is already -- okay, they don't even try.

Obviously the big three. Novak. Roger, now he finished, but Novak, Rafa. They win half of the tournaments only because of the name, not the level.

Then, okay, with the fourth round, fifth round, they start to put also the level. But first rounds, it's like, yes, they just step on court, and it's more than enough.