"I think you're just lying" - Andrey Rublev on being told that he is one of the most popular guys on tour
Andrey Rublev rallied from a set down to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 in one hour and 42 minutes in their third round-robin match at the 2022 ATP Finals.
From his three appearances in the year-end championships so far, this is the first time that the Russian has made it to the last four, where he joins Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud, and Taylor Fritz.
Seventh-ranked Rublev relied on his strong forehand to topple the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals winner in what was the 11th chapter of their rivalry. Tsitsipas, who won the last two clashes against Rublev earlier this year, currently leads 6-5 head-to-head.
In an on-court interview, the presenter told Rublev that the crowd at Turin's Pala Alpitour Arena was right behind him throughout the match and that he was one of the most popular players on the tour.
"And the crowd was right behind you. I gotta tell you, you're a popular player. Why do you think that is?" the interviewer said.
To this, the 25-year-old expressed his surprise and felt grateful, though he didn't believe it completely.
"I don't know. I think you're just lying to me. I don't know. No, but if it's like this, I can be only grateful," Rublev responded.
A popular guy @AndreyRublev97 😅
#NittoATPFinals https://t.co/k371EZWThx
He further added that despite losing control over his emotions during the third set, the youngster decided to fight and wait for his chances.
"I didn't give up. I kept fighting and playing," Andrey Rublev said. "I lost my emotions a bit when I lost a stupid game at 40/0 in the first set. I let my emotions go. But then I just kept fighting and playing and you will have chances. I thought I would have chances if I just gave my best. I managed to turn the match around and I am happy to be in the semis."
"He's a better player because he's ranked higher" - Andrey Rublev responds to Stefanos Tsitsipas' remarks
In a press conference after the match, Stefanos Tsitsipas took a dig at Andrey Rublev, saying that he won using the few tools that he had. When the Russian was asked to respond to these remarks, he suggested that Tsitsipas was a better player because he was ranked higher than Rublev and that the two players always had close matches.
"I don't know if I have few tools or not," Rublev said. "If we go shot by shot, I think his backhand is better than mine. His forehand is not better than mine. The speed serve is not better than mine. He's faster. Obviously, he's a better player because he's ranked higher and he achieved better results. But I don't think I beat him because of few tools."
"If you take our match, every match, we have tough battles. This year I lost to him twice in three sets and now I beat him. We always have some tough matches. Only one final in Monte-Carlo that he played really well and he destroyed me quite easily, but the rest were always tough matches," he added.