QATAR TOTAL ENERGIES OPEN

February 21, 2025

Andrey Rublev

Press Conference

A. RUBLEV/F. Auger-Aliassime

7-5, 4-6, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: First question, please.

Q. Congratulations, great match. For the last couple of days you had back-to-back marathon matches. How is this affecting you physically and mentally, especially for the final?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I don't know, we'll see. Of course, less time spent on court is better, as more fresh you are. But this is part of the sport. Of course, I mean, if you ask me, it doesn't matter how to get to the final, I will always choose to be in the final, doesn't matter.

Playing so long every match or not, we cannot choose this, this is part of the sport, part of the tournament. Sometimes we have to play couple two matches in one day because of rain delay or something like that. Sometimes we have to play long singles, so not much to say.

Q. During the changing side we saw you closing your eyes and stay very calm. Is that some kind of meditation?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I don't know. I mean, obviously it's some breathing, just, I don't know, I'm trying one thing to see if it's can help me to be better, to have better mindset or not. For the moment I don't have answer for this because not long time pass, I'm just doing this since the beginning of the season.

For the moment looks like it's a little bit better, but I'm still getting frustrated, I'm still getting pissed, but looks like I'm more stable. So, we'll see long-term, like now I cannot say if it's helping or not. It looks like it's helping, but with me you never know. Maybe in one tournament I just start to throw everything again, so we'll see.

For the moment I find this option, I tried many other things, it didn't help, so now I find this option and we'll see.

Q. Between yesterday and today 10 match points saved by your opponents. How that will help your confidence in terms of match point in the next matches?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I don't know. I mean, it's not about confidence or not confidence. I mean, those match points I was a bit unlucky. Yesterday with Alex I had the first match point was really good point, I did everything right, but he guessed right and he played unbelievable point, he make passing on the line. Out of 10 points, nine of them I will win. Give them the same point, most of the players will win nine of them. It just happened on match point. The rest of match points he played really well, or serving or something like that.

The same today with Felix. The first match point that I had at 6-5, we had unbelievable rally. I had forehand, I tried to go for it, and I miss a little bit. It can happen. Like I cannot blame myself that I did something wrong because was a good point. I did everything right, I went for the shot, I miss a little bit.

So today is like this, maybe next day I will make it. But then in the end I was able to win, and that's the most important thing.

Q. When you lost the three match points did you think about what happened in the de Minaur match?

ANDREY RUBLEV: No, I didn't have de Minaur match at all in my head. When I lost two match points I was thinking, Well, we'll see, because for sure something is going to happen, it's not going to be that easy to close the match. And then it was tough point, because I make good serve, I hit down the line, and he hit forehand high, but the ball was going out, and with the wind it moves a bit right on the line and, I don't know, I make it somehow. And I saw Felix with a backhand, and I was like, Okay, for sure it's going to be a winner, and somehow he missed it and that was a relief.

Q. After five years you're again in Doha's final. If you can compare your game and your attitude on court now with the one from 2020.

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, everything is better. I cannot, I mean, if I can compare everything, physically I'm better, mentally I'm better, game-wise I'm better. So, yeah, more complete player as before.

2020 was amazing moment for me because I was coming back from, 2018 and 2019 was tough seasons because I had injuries, so I was kind of coming back, coming back. Then the end of 2019 I played really well. With 2020, because Doha was in January that time, so I was able to win Doha and Adelaide back-to-back. So for me it was like a huge step forward to get closer to the top 10.

I guess that was the main tournaments, because then we had pandemic. And after pandemic, like after one tournament I was already top 10. Those two tournaments helped me a lot to get closer to the top-10 ranking, and then I was able to stay there. Yeah, so now I'm much better player in everything.

Q. Congratulations on making the final. You've been very determined on winning another title here in Doha. Now with all your vast experience of playing in Doha for so many years, how do you see it with Draper and Lehecka fighting it out?

ANDREY RUBLEV: It's not about experience or not experience, it's about the moment. At the moment both of these players, they're amazing.

Draper, he won Vienna not long time ago, 500 event, beating so many good players. He did well in Paris, he also beat really good players.

The same Lehecka. He won yesterday against Alcaraz, he beat Dimitrov here, he win really great matches this week.

So it's about the moment, and at the moment they're really good. I was playing with both of them, and with both of them I had tough matches. Both of them I was losing tough matches, three-set battles. So you never know until tomorrow when you going to face each other.

Q. May the force be with you. All the best.

ANDREY RUBLEV: Thank you. (Laughing.)

Q. During the first set there was this strange point when you missed the ball on the net. Was there something in the light, and was it easy to not get frustrated after this kind of point?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Yeah, it was easy. Actually at that moment it was easy to get not frustrated. I mean, it was easy, actually, because just previous point Felix had the same easy forehand, and I guess right. I close my eyes, I shoot, and I make winner. So it's like 1-1. Okay, he should win that point, I should win this point. Because normally, yeah, you give, how many, even hundred more chances, no one will lose this point. So it was 1-1, so, yeah. Then for me it was easy.

Q. I'm not sure if you remember, but at the first set there was a break point, and Felix, he made a forehand that was unbelievable, barely touched the baseline according to the cameras. So when he did that, did you go, like, Man, this is impossible, you doubted the technology?

ANDREY RUBLEV: No, I had no doubt because doesn't matter, even if you doubt, they go with the score, so you can not change anything. So it is what it is.

No, it was just like, not shocking, but like it was so close. Because I think it was not even, it was not break point, it was set point. It was 5-4 and I think it was, yeah, break point, so set point. Like, first reaction you see is like it's out, and you hope that the machine will call it, will call it. Then it didn't call it, and it's like, well, because you see the mark there and the mark is kind of much more out, like 99 portion is out. But then this little piece you don't see, so it's like you are even more like optimistic that it's going to call it out. But it's not calling, it's not calling, and then it's like, how it's possible? Then you see the replay, but what can you do? Nothing. Because it's going to happen the same to me. Many, many balls I will hit and it will touch like this, so it will be out like this. This is part of the sport.