"I’m a bit pissed with Andrey Rublev sometimes… he’s always saying yes to everybody" - Rublev's coach on his 'selfless' nature
Andrey Rublev enjoyed a largely successful 2023 season. Not only did the Russian end the year by matching his career-high ranking of No. 5, he also earned an army of new fans courtesy his warm personality off court.
Rublev is often spotted clicking pictures with his fans, even if it means spending an extra 10 minutes on court after a tough match or gruelling practice session.
In his coach’s mind, however, Rublev needs to be a little "more selfish." Fernando Vicente, who has been with the Russian since 2016, said that at times he gets “pissed” with his charge over the amount of time he spends with his fans.
In a recent interview with Tennis Majors, the 46-year-old said:
"I’m a bit pissed with him when sometimes… He’s always saying yes to everybody. He needs to be more selfish sometimes, I think. He’s spending a lot of hours with the fans."
Vicente said that Rublev never says no to his fans, or anyone else for that matter, and is always trying to help those needing his assistance.
"He just can’t say no. When he says no, it’s because at the end, he is super-tired. But he’s always ready to do things for other people," Fernando Vicente said.
"You know, doesn’t matter people who call him, (he will say), 'No, we’ll see, let me try'. Always. 'I have a friend'… Always trying to to help," he added.
"Andrey Rublev respects all the players" - Russian's coach
Fernando Vicente, during the same interview, said that Andrey Rublev finds it difficult to deal with losses despite the respect he has for other players.
"Andrey Rublev, he respects all the players. But…I don’t know how to say it. Sometimes he’s losing his mind," Fernando Vicente said. "And he needs to understand that at this level, you can lose."
The Russian’s coach added that Rublev was prone to spiralling in matches, and that he needed to understand that playing against a tough field would always mean losing a match or two.
"You just can lose with these top guys. Sometimes, these extremely crazy things that he’s doing, it’s like when a kid used to take the toy. When he starts to lose, he wants to recover the toy," Fernando Vicente said. "And then he starts to cry and cry."
"He needs to be humble and to understand that you have some somebody in front, like with Daniil, whom he played 10 times, he lost eight and he won two times," he added.
Rublev made the quarterfinals at every Grand Slam other than the French Open in 2023. He also lifted the first Masters 1000 title of his career in the season, at Monte Carlo.