"I have nothing to lose, it will be his moment" - Andrey Rublev ahead of Serbia Open final against Novak Djokovic

Andrey Rublev [inset] recently spoke about his upcoming clash against the World No. 1

Andrey Rublev and Novak Djokovic will lock horns in the 2022 Serbia Open final on Sunday. Speaking ahead of the summit clash, the Russian stated that all eyes and pressure would be on the World No. 1 since he will be playing in front of his home fans.

Djokovic, a two-time Serbia Open champion, will be playing in the final of his home event for the first time since 2011. The tournament was discontinued from 2012 to 2020. The World No. 1 returned to the event last year and lost in the semifinals to eventual runner-up Aslan Karatsev.

Speaking after beating Fabio Fognini 6-2, 6-2 on Saturday, Rublev claimed he had "nothing to lose" against Djokovic.

"It's gonna be fun, I mean tomorrow I have nothing to lose, I can go and enjoy," Andrey Rublev said. "I did my minimum, so tomorrow like you said he play at home so it will be his moment. So the best I can do is to fight and try to do my best and that's it."

"I've got nothing to lose. It will be @DjokerNole's moment. The best I can do is fight."

We're excited to see @AndreyRublev97 meet the World No.1 in the Belgrade final.

#SerbiaOpen https://t.co/WsOyrYlo7V

This will be Andrey Rublev's third final in 2022. The Russian made the summit clash in Dubai, where beat Jiri Vesely 6-3, 6-4. Prior to that, he made the title round at the Open 13, beating Felix Auger-Aliassime to lift his maiden title of the season.

Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, will be featuring in his first final of the season.

A look at Novak Djokovic's record against Andrey Rublev

Andrey Rublev and Novak Djokovic have only faced each other once so far, which is surprising considering how often they make the business end of big events.

The two locked horns in the ATP Finals last year, with the Serb handing the Russian a 6-3, 6-2 defeat in the round-robin stage.

Andrey Rublev will be keen to avoid another lopsided defeat this time around. He will be buoyed by the fact that the World No. 1 is still far from his best. Having said that, the Serb will be extra motivated to do well in front of his home fans.