"It was unreal, I think Novak Djokovic gave up all his energy in the first two games" - Andrey Rublev looks back on Serbia Open final
Andrey Rublev recently registered one of the biggest wins of his career when he got past World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the final of the Serbia Open.
Rublev and Djokovic split the first two sets before the Russian pulled away in the decider, serving up a rare bagel.
Looking back at his win in Belgrade, Rublev stressed that Djokovic had used up all his energy in the first two sets and offered little resistance in the decider.
In an interview with El Mundo, the Russian stated that Djokovic could hardly move in the all-important third set.
"It was unreal. I mean, it wasn't true. Novak was completely dead. He had chances at the beginning of the set. I think he gave up all his energy in the first two games. Then everything was in my hand. He was very tired. He almost couldn't move. He apologized to the public. I'm telling you, it wasn't real, I don't take it as an experience."
Rublev, who had earlier upset Roger Federer at the 2019 Western and Southern Open, was also candid enough to admit that the Swiss legend was not at his best on the eve of the encounter.
"When I beat Roger [in the second round of Cincinnati, in 2019], I was almost out of everything. He didn't have a good ranking, he was coming off an injury and he was fighting certain problems. Everything went perfect: the way I played, the way I fought, the way I moved, my attitude."
"I interpreted it as a lesson in what I could achieve if I could put all those virtues together. The next match I lost easy against Medvedev," Rublev said.
"I would have liked to take just one, like one of Rafa's, for example, a Grand Slam" - Andrey Rublev
Andrey Rublev has had a fantastic season so far and is one of three players (Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz) to have won three titles this season.
Rafael Nadal followed up his victory in the Melbourne Summer Set by clinching the Australian Open crown. He followed up his win Down Under with a title at the Mexican Open, which gave the Spaniard his third tournament victory of the year.
Carlos Alcaraz, meanwhile, triumphed at the Rio Open before becoming the youngest-ever player to win the Miami Open. The 18-year-old then broke into the top 10 after winning the title in Barcelona.
Elsewhere, Rublev bagged the Open 13 title in Marseille before victory at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships gave the Russian his 10th ATP title. The title in Belgrade was his third of the season.
When it was pointed out to Rublev that he is one of three players to have registered three tournament wins this season, the Russian was quick to indicate that the titles he won were not on par with those that Nadal and Alcaraz had won.
"Yeah [laughs], but their tournaments are a little different from mine. I would have liked to take just one, like one of Rafa's, for example, a Grand Slam," Andrey Rublev said.
Andrey Rublev will take on Jack Draper in his opening match at the 2022 Mutua Madrid Open on Tuesday. The British wildcard did well to get the better of Lorenzo Sonego in his first-round match.