"Lost both Davis Cup and football to Russia" - Andrey Rublev taunts Rafael Nadal with friendly banter during ATP Finals practice session
Andrey Rublev and Rafael Nadal hit the practice courts in Turin in preparation for the 2022 ATP Finals on Saturday, their final training session before the tournament kickstarts on November 13.
Having neared the end of the season, both players were at their relaxed best, using the practice session to warm-up for the year-end championships rather than go at it full steam ahead. The Russian was in a particularly jovial mood, as evident from clips of their time together uploaded on social media.
In one short video posted to Twitter, Rublev proceeded to taunt the 22-time Grand Slam champion during the evening, recalling how Spain has been on the receiving end of Russia's success in sporting events of late.
The World No. 7 pointed out how Nadal's home country has lost to Russia at both the Davis Cup (2021 Group stage) and the FIFA World Cup (2018 Round-of-16), engaging the Mallorcan in some friendly banter.
ANDREY YOU SAVAGE 😭😭
“Lost both Davis and football to Russia “😭😭 https://t.co/Mbq0w469y2
In another clip, Rublev was also seen giving the 36-year-old the middle finger, in a joking manner of course, following which the former World No. 1 playfully grabbed him by the neck before wrapping up their training.
Andrey has asked for it 😏 https://t.co/CIcf4hX3fT
Rafael Nadal kicks off ATP Finals campaign against Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev opens against Daniil Medvedev
Rafael Nadal will kick off his 2022 ATP Finals campaign against Taylor Fritz, their third meeting this year. Although the World No. 2 lost the first meeting at Indian Wells, he had his revenge at Wimbledon, where he defeated the American in an extraordinary five-setter.
With Felix Auger-Aliassime and Casper Ruud the other two players in his group, the Spaniard will be hoping to get a big victory against Fritz to increase his chances of making it to the knockouts.
Andrey Rublev, meanwhile, will face off against compatriot Daniil Medvedev in his opener, their sixth meeting on the ATP Tour. Although Medvedev has a 4-1 lead in the head-to-head at the moment, he lost their most recent clash at the 2021 Cincinnati Open.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic are the other two players left in the Russian's group, both of whom are strong contenders to make it to the knockouts as well as win the title. Neither Nadal nor Rublev are yet to win the year-end championships till date, a very notable absence in the former's trophy cabinet.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has a shot at finishing the year as the World No. 1 if he wins the title in Turin next week, while Rublev could rise as high as World No. 5 with a title run.