Sharing memories of his thrilling victory over Roger Federer in 2019, Andrey Rublev revealed he was shocked after the last point of the match! Also, the Russian mentioned how natural and solid Roger was in the defeat, which made a big impression on the young player.
In 2019, Roger failed to reach the Cincinnati quarterfinal for the first time since 2008, as he lost to qualifier Andrey Rublev by a score of 6-3, 6-4, in 61 minutes!
Initially identified as one of the upcoming stars, Rublev suffered a serious back injury in the spring of 2018, which put him off the court for a few months and caused him to lose momentum and positions. in the ranking.
He had to start all over again in 2019. The young Russian qualified for his first quarter-final of the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati that year, while edging the Swiss in almost every department to control the scoreboard and win. his best career victory which has undoubtedly given him a huge boost in terms of confidence.
Losing 15 points in ten service games, Rublev pushed back two out of three break points and recovered 40% of the return points for three breaks that brought him quickly to the top.
Hitting 17 winners and six unforced errors, Andrey tamed his shots well to leave Roger behind despite 20 winners and 19 faults from the multiple Masters 1000 champion. Placing one daring shot after another, Rublev took the lead in the most popular rallies. shorter up to four strokes, edging Roger at 43-34, which is never easy to do.
The Russian also had a 16-10 lead in extended trades. He continued at the same pace to seal the case before Roger and advance to the quarterfinals.
Rublev opened up about his impressive win over Federer in Cincinnati
“I was in a state of shock when I beat Roger, but also because I put myself in his shoes and imagined the harshness of this loss for him.
The top players have to endure so much pressure because they can’t lose and see themselves diminished in the media. They must reach at least the final of each tournament. Roger has been doing this for many years.
What marked me even more than my victory is his behavior, his attitude and the way he accepted it (this defeat). I felt like I had beaten a real legend, “said Andrey Rublev.
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