Andrey Rublev calls Rafael Nadal "the best player on clay in history", says Monte Carlo win is "one of the best" of his career
Andrey Rublev picked up one of the most significant results of his career as he defeated Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters. The Russian outplayed Nadal on the day, prevailing 6-2 4-6 6-2.
After the match, Rublev claimed that the win was one of the biggest of his career, given Nadal's stature on clay.
"Rafa is the best player on clay in history, so this is one of the best wins of my career," Rublev said. "On the other side, I know Rafa did not play good (for his standards)."
Andrey Rublev also highlighted Rafael Nadal's legendary ability to handle pressure. The Russian claimed it was unimaginable how Nadal manages to give his best despite having a mountain of expectations on his shoulders every time he steps on a claycourt.
"I don't even know what to say," Rublev said. "I cannot imagine being in the situation of Rafa, knowing that you are the best player on clay and you have that pressure every time. I think for him it must be incredibly tough every time. I am in shock [with] the way he is playing under this pressure and that is why he is a legend."
With this win, Andrey Rublev has joined Novak Djokovic (2013, 2015), Fabio Fognini (2019), David Ferrer (2014) and Guillermo Coria (2003) as one of only five players to have defeated Rafael Nadal at the Monte Carlo Masters. The Spaniard is an 11-time champion in the Principality, which is an all-time record.
Andrey Rublev will now face Casper Ruud in the semifinal on Saturday. On the other side of the draw, Stefanos Tsitsipas will take on Dan Evans for a place in the final, which means we are guaranteed a first-time Masters 1000 champion in Monaco this year.
"Casper Ruud is an amazing player" - Andrey Rublev on his next opponent after Rafael Nadal
Casper Ruud beat Fabio Fognini earlier on Friday, to reach his second consecutive claycourt Masters semifinal. Rublev expressed wariness about facing Ruud on Friday, acknowledging that the Norwegian is in fine form at the moment.
"Casper is playing really well," Rublev said. "I have known him for a long time. He is an amazing player and every match against him was a dramatic match."
"We had really great rallies and a really great level of tennis," the Russian added. "It's going to be super tough."
Andrey Rublev is also cognizant of the fact that he has had a grueling schedule the last couple of days. After playing nearly three hours against Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round, the Russian spent 2.5 hours on court against Rafael Nadal on Friday.
By contrast, Casper Ruud overcame Fabio Fognini in straight sets, and his match also ended way before the Russian's. Rublev admitted that he might have a tough time recovering for the semifinal, but vowed that he would do his best.
"He finished today much earlier than me," Rublev said. "We will see what is going to happen tomorrow. I will try to recover as best as I can and to do my best tomorrow."