Andrey Rublev breaks down in tears after maiden Masters 1000 title in Monte-Carlo
An emotional Andrey Rublev broke down in tears following his remarkable 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 win over Holger Rune on Sunday, registering his maiden Masters 1000 title at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters in the process.
Rublev managed to come into his own in the second set of the final after having lost the first but trailed 1-4 (0-30) in the decider before Holger Rune appeared to lose his composure and rhythm on Court Rainier III.
The Russian seemed to be at a loss for words after the sensational triumph but stated he was happy to have finally managed to reign supreme in an ATP Masters event after having fallen short twice in the past, including once at the same venue in 2021.
"I have tears now, I don't know what to say. I am just happy finally after struggling to win this freaking 1000 tournament," Rublev stated during an on-court interview after the match.
Holger Rune appeared to have the match in his grasp in the decisive third set but allowed Andrey Rublev to find his footing before shockingly missing a couple of seemingly simple overheads on the trot with the score tied at 5-5.
"Losing 1-4 (in the third set), 0-30, break point and I was thinking there was no chance to win and then somehow I did it," the World No. 6 stated.
The newly-crowned champion explained how he had learnt from history while appearing to be on the backfoot a couple of times in the title round clash at Monte-Carlo.
"In the previous Masters finals, I was not mentally prepared" - Andrey Rublev after getting past Holger Rune in Monte-Carlo
Fighting with his back to the wall in the final set, Andrey Rublev decided he would believe in himself until the end even if he were to lose. The 25-year-old was candid enough to admit that he wasn't mentally prepared for the Masters finals he had reached in the past.
"I was hoping deep inside that maybe I would have one chance, maybe at least try to play till the end. Because I remember the previous finals, mentally I was not ready, and when I was losing, I was thinking (there would be) no chance to win anymore. I was going mentally completely down. Today, I was like, if you are going to lose, please believe until the end." he asserted after the win.
"That was what I was trying to do in the third set, hoping that maybe I will have one extra chance to come back or something - and in the end I was able to to do it," the Moscow-born player explained much to the jubilation of the crowd.
Andrey Rublev managed to find 33 winners while committing just 8 unforced errors in the big final. Back in 2021, he reached the final in Monte-Carlo only to go down 6-3, 6-3 against Stefanos Tsitsipas, and then lost to Alexander Zverev in the Cincinnati Masters title bout later in the year.