Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer have been playing Miami for 20 years, for them now it's about legacy & records: Andrey Rublev
Andrey Rublev recently laid out the difference between his goals and those of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, who are all skipping this week's Miami Open.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Rublev was asked about his motivation for playing the hardcourt tournament given that there's a difference of around 5,000 air miles between Miami and Europe, where the clay season will begin shortly. In response, the World No. 8 explained that his objectives are not the same as those of the Big 3.
Andrey Rublev highlighted how Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have been playing Miami for several years now, and that they were eyeing much bigger records at this stage of their careers.
"I mean, I think about top players they have completely different things that they are playing for," Andrey Rublev said. "They are playing for the records, they are playing for the Slams, they've been playing Miami for 20 years. For them now, it's not only about one tournament."
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer want to be as fit as they can: Andrey Rublev
The trio of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer share a mammoth 58 Major triumphs and 99 ATP Masters 1000 titles between them. They have also taken home 14 of the last 15 Grand Slams. In that context, Andrey Rublev might not be wrong in his assessment that the Big 3 would be looking to economize their schedules as they turn the page towards the final chapter of the GOAT race.
"For them it is about, legacy, records and everything," Rublev said. "So they want to be as fit as they can, as best as they can for the final Grand Slams (of their careers)... like the records."
The 23-year-old insisted that while Novak Djokovic and Co. could afford to miss such big events, he himself can't. Rublev pointed out that he is in the early years of his career, and still seeking his breakthrough at the Grand Slams and Masters.
"And in my case, I'm just starting to play," Rublev said. "Now, like I said before, I did already good in ATP 250s and 500s. Now even if I do well there, I'm not gonna get any extra points. To get extra points and to go high in the rankings, I need to play big events. Now, we're here without top players, of course I have better chances to win maybe one extra match."