"I play tennis to play at main tournaments" - Andrey Rublev sends bold message after leading Falcons to World Tennis League victory
Andrey Rublev shared a bold message after leading Team Falcons to World Tennis League victory on Sunday. The World No. 8 secured a commanding win over India's Sumit Nagal in the last match to hand the title to the Falcons.
Following his decisive 6-2 win against Nagal to secure his second consecutive World Tennis League title, Rublev was asked whether these were the moments he plays tennis for. After seemingly getting confused over the question, the Russian outrightly rejected the idea, and stressed that it was the big tournaments such as Grand Slams he plays the sport for.
"To be honest, not for these moments. I play tennis to play at main tournaments, to play my best level at those events," he said.
However, the former World No.5 also added that winning the WTL was a nice feeling nonetheless.
"It’s still a nice feeling. I did my best, I tried, and we were able to win, so that’s the most important thing," Andrey Rublev added.
He was paired up with Denis Shapovalov, Caroline Garcia, and Elena Rybakina for the Falcons, who finished first in the round-robin stage and advanced to final to face Team Hawks, whose lineup included Aryna Sabalenka, Mirra Andreeva, Jordan Thompson and Sumit Nagal.
The Falcons struggled during the first phase of the final, trailing 8-13. With two wins down and two decisive victories needed to secure the title, Rublev launched an onslaught against Thompson and Nagal in the men's doubles with Shapovalov.
The duo secured a 6-2 win before the Russian took on Nagal in the final singles match. Rublev easily beat the World No. 98, winning 6-1 to hand the World Tennis League title to the Falcons, who won the series 20-16. It was also his second championship victory in the exhibition tournament after having won with Andreeva as well as Kenin and Medvedev in 2023.
"We didn’t spend even one minute together outside of the bench" - Andrey Rublev opens up about his relationship with Falcons teammates
Speaking during the on-court interview following the World Tennis League victory, Andrey Rublev highlighted the strong bond he shares with his Falcons teammates, revealing that they didn't practice with each other before the matches.
“There is no behind-the-scenes because we didn’t spend even one minute together outside of the bench, but I know the guys really well. Since juniors, we’ve played many matches. Elena (Rybakina) and Caroline (Garcia) are super nice girls," he said.
The 27-year-old further added that it was a privilege for him to be a part of Team Falcons.
"All of them are amazing players, and it was a privilege to be part of the team," he added.
Rublev will now head to the Macau Tennis Masters, a two-day indoor hard court mixed exhibition tournament, alongside Kei Nishikori, Jerry Shang, Karolina Muchova, and Casper Ruud.