"What am I doing here man?" - Andrey Rublev pokes fun at himself after being drawn in the same group as Djokovic, Tsitsipas, and Medvedev at the ATP Finals
World No. 7 Andrey Rublev has been drawn in the same group as Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, and Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.
All three players have won the event previously, with Djokovic having taken home the trophy as many as five times. But Rublev was in good spirits at the pre-tournament press conference, and even poked fun at his luck.
The Russian cheekily stated he had no idea what he was doing in the same group as the three previous winners.
"What am I doing here man?" Rublev jokingly commented.
Andrey about his group is such a mood 😅
#NittoATPFinals @AndreyRublev97 https://t.co/NlasZzSk2U
"I felt it's a pretty tough draw" - Daniil Medvedev ahead of his match against Andrey Rublev
Andrey Rublev will play his first match of the tournament against his compatriot and friend Daniil Medvedev on Sunday (November 13).
Medvedev agreed with his fellow Russian at the press conference, and admitted that their group was very difficult. But he also mentioned that the other group was not easy either, as it featured some of the best players on the tour.
"I felt it's a pretty tough draw. At the same time, in the other group, we also have great players... It's not easy in any group," said Medvedev.
"But as I said, there are top players and if you want to win this tournament, you have to beat the best. Our group, I feel like, is pretty even and everybody can go through it. Everybody [in the group] has beaten everybody at least once, so that's great. We're going to have some great tennis," Medvedev added.
Team Medvedev is ready 😎
@DaniilMedwed https://t.co/bFCIirjavR
The former World No. 1 also spoke about the uniqueness of the event, as players practice with their potential opponents before their matches in the tournament.
"It's a great tournament. From the first day, you practice with our opponents and rivals in this tournament because you have no other choice. Of course, you have hitting partners, but you want to also play sets against top opponents," said Medvedev.
"This feeling when you're waiting for the groups to come out to know who you can practice with from the other group, to not practice with your opponents — that's a lot of fun. From the first match, you're going to play a tough opponent. There is a special energy about this tournament and I absolutely love it, and I hope to show my best tennis. I'm feeling confident, but you never know before the first match," he added.