DUBAI DUTY FREE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 24, 2025

Andrey Rublev

Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium

Recorded Interview

Q. How are you feeling? How is the turnaround from Doha?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Feel good. I mean, Doha was amazing week. Special. I guess now is the more special tournament because is the only one tournament that I win twice. To win this tournament for the second time, being as a 500, is even more special. Feeling great.

Q. Coming back here after what happened last year, is that all forgotten? Did that come to your mind?

ANDREY RUBLEV: No, no, yeah, all forgotten. I don't know, I didn't thought about it until you asked now (laughter).

I guess, I hope yes, I've forgotten. To be honest, I don't know if it sounds good or bad, but it didn't bother me. I was not sleeping in a nightmare, something like that, you know? Or having fears to go play matches, no. So it didn't really bother me.

Things happen sometimes. Sometimes you cross the line and they punish you fair, sometimes maybe you don't do nothing and they punish you not fair. Sometimes maybe you cross the line, and no one realize and no one punish you. It's life.

Q. You started writing 'responsibility' on your shoes. The motivation behind that?

ANDREY RUBLEV: No, I started since Bastad last year to write it. I just was explaining the story. In the beginning I was writing it on the wrist. But the problem, this part of the skin, not many pens that are, I don't know, can make it.

Q. Permanent.

ANDREY RUBLEV: Like you said. Only few ones. So it was really tough to find a pen.

So then I found spot here. With any pen you can write here on this part of the skin. But then the problem was still both places after two, three games, if you sweat a lot, everything disappear.

Then I was watching one of the videos from Steph Curry. He was telling what helps me before the match to be in a good mood, be ready for the game, to do some throws or whatever, some sprints, then he says he's writing before the game on the shoes some words that, I don't know, motivate him or whatever. That means a lot to him.

I said okay, that's the really good option to write it on a shoe because you see it every time you put the shoe. You see it when you look down. It doesn't goes away. It's easy to write there. So I start to do it.

This word, I don't know, is something that triggers me in a good way, so...

Q. You spoke last year about burnout and also about Marat Safin helping you. Can you tell us a little more about that.

ANDREY RUBLEV: What exactly?

Q. How he helped you, a little about your struggle.

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, my struggle? I mean, about my struggle, yes, I can talk.

No, I was just kind of in a loop lost with myself for couple of years of, I don't know, not finding the way, not understanding what to do, what for. I don't know, sounds a bit maybe dramatic or whatever, like what the reason or purpose to live like that or stuff like that. There is no... I don't know, just completely lost. Let's put it this way, completely lost with myself and that's it.

The thing is one thing when it's happening one, month, two months, three months. Maybe you still have patience or something. But when it happens one year, two year, three year, four year, five. When it's coming for many, many years, in one moment you cannot take it anymore. It's like one pain that start to grow more and more and more and more, and you want to cut the arm and that's it. So was like this.

Then, I don't know, was taking antidepressants. But then after one year of taking them, I realize that because in the beginning looks like it was a bit better, but then nothing after. After a while I realized that it's not getting worst, but something's weird. I don't like the feeling I'm having now even more. So I just stopped to take them, and that's it.

Yeah, then with the help of Marat, he kind of make me understand myself or look at myself, let's put it that way. That's it. That was kind of a bit of restart of the bottom. Then from there, at least I was able little by little to start to move in a better direction. Now I'm moving little by little in this better direction.

I mean, like I was saying in the beginning of the year, I'm not happy. I'm not in a good or bad place, but I'm not feeling any more stress, I'm not feeling anxious, I'm not having depression. Let's put it that side. I'm just neutral. Not happy, not bad, but at least I found a base. That's a beginning.

Q. This requires daily work.

ANDREY RUBLEV: Yeah, yeah. No, no, daily.

Q. If you don't mind sharing, what are the things that are helping you the most to kind of be in this neutral state?

ANDREY RUBLEV: It's tough because you cannot explain it in one word or in one minute. It's conversation for hours.

I mean, the main thing is, first of all, to be honest with yourself. Really, really honest, honest. All of us, we think, okay, maybe we are not honest with people, but with us, inside, we are honest.

This is huge lie because most of the people, they are not even honest with themself. I was the same. I was thinking, no, for sure with myself I'm honest. I have no problem to say if I'm wrong, if I'm right, if I did mistake there. Then the conversation show that, no, I also was lying to myself about many things. I didn't even want to understand or notice them.

Probably you need someone who can make you see yourself in an honest way. So first to be honest with yourself because then it will help you at least already to be honest, then more honest with the other people.

Let's say even the people typical who let's say they like to put masks, let's put it that way, and then they put excuse that, no, I'm doing that to defend myself because, I don't know, someone hurt me or I don't want them to see real me. Is already lying to himself, trying to convince that I'm defending myself.

But he's not. He's lying to himself to don't see real... Kind of run away from the problem, to be real self of him. He find excuse. No, I prefer to put a mask like this, I defend myself. No, because he don't want to face himself, reality, and he find this story of creating. I don't know, just like example. Most of the people are like this.

So the first thing is just to, yeah, be honest with yourself, then start to be more awareness and awareness.

Q. After Mirra won, she thanked herself.

ANDREY RUBLEV: Yeah, that was funny. I like it.

Q. Do you feel in that sort of sense you can thank yourself? Do you feel you can value yourself?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Now, yes. Before, no.

Q. You're able to value yourself?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Now, yes.

Q. And appreciate your journey?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Yeah. No, before impossible. Now, yes.

Q. When you say the word 'responsibility' triggers you in a way, in what way? Is it responsibility towards yourself?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Of course, of course. We take responsibility for, I mean, ourself I guess. I don't know. But yeah, no, I mean, towards me, yes.

I mean, at least I'm putting that word to remind myself that I'm the one. It's not because of anything or anyone. If something happened bad to me or something not good or not fair is happening, it's not because un-luck or luck. Is because I did mistake. Is my fault.

Even if the person did something bad to you, is your fault. Is not his fault. He have his own life that he do his mistakes. Is your fault that this situation is happen.

So in end doesn't matter what's happening in your life, it's only your fault, no one else. You cannot blame anything or anyone. I guess this is kind of to remind myself to don't complain.

Q. How does all this kind of manifest on the court? Do you find a stronger relation between how you feel on the court, even results, with how you're feeling internally and the work that you've been doing?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Uhm... I guess so because in end is everything connected. It's all about balance in everywhere.

It does not matter. If you're not balanced with yourself, you will be not balanced. Doesn't matter. Everything will go apart.

If you're not balanced with yourself, doesn't matter, everything will be unbalanced in any relationship with the family, with the job. Looks like not bad, but not amazing, not what you want.

So in the end is how we can expect to have something if you don't have balance with yourself. First I guess is to have base with yourself. Then on top of that base, you start to build something else.

Q. You mentioned Steph Curry. Mirra Andreeva was saying one thing she does is look at LeBron James and Kobe Bryant interviews. Are you the kind of person who watches other athletes or things like that?

ANDREY RUBLEV: No.

Q. This was a coincidence?

ANDREY RUBLEV: Yeah, yeah.