Andrey Rublev hilariously says he's at "zero confidence" heading into Monte-Carlo final
Andrey Rublev refused to dwell on his chances of bagging a first-ever ATP Masters 1000 title after getting past Taylor Fritz in a rain-interrupted semifinal at the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters.
Rublev, who had lost to Fritz three times in a row, made the most of a fifth appearance in a Masters semifinal on Saturday. He battled overcast conditions and a light drizzle to come away with an impressive 5-7, 6-1, 6-3 win.
The Russian, who lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of the 2021 edition of the tournament, recalled what he was asked ahead of the title round back then and refused to be drawn into answering similar questions this time round.
"I have zero confidence. Last time when I was in the Monte-Carlo final, you or I don't know who asked me, so what is your feeling about winning the title - and then I lost without a zero chance. So, not anymore. I am not going to answer this," a relieved Andrey Rublev stated light-heartedly during the course of his on-court interview after the match.
The 25-year-old lost to Taylor Fritz in the semifinals of the Indian Wells Open last year. Fritz went on to win a maiden ATP Masters title a day later, ending Rafael Nadal's 20-match winning streak in the final.
In the Monte-Carlo final on Sunday, Andrey Rublev will take on the winner of the second semifinal between Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune.
"In the end, we had a great match" - Andrey Rublev after downing Taylor Fritz in Monte-Carlo
Taylor Fritz began with a flourish as be broke his opponent right away to race to a 2-0 lead. While he was broken back right away, Fritz proceeded to take the first set 7-5 with a final break of serve in a see-saw battle.
Undaunted by the missed chances in the opening set, Rublev kept his composure to break Fritz twice in the second set. The Russian stated after the match that it was "mentally tough" for him to play against Fritz given that he had lost their previous three matches.
"It was really tough especially against Taylor, to whom I lost three times - also at Indian Wells in the semifinal last year. It was tough, mentally for me to play against him. I started really well and I was up a break and then he broke me back. In the end we had a great match and I was able to win," Andrey Rublev explained.
The third set was interrupted by rain, but after a 1 hour and 45 minute delay Rublev carried on from where he left off. The gusty winds helped the Russian win a crucial point as the ball, which seemed headed out, landed on the line to help him go up 4-2.
After serving up a powerful ace to save a match point, Fritz could do little to stop Rublev from winning the decider when he eventually served for the match.