Being all by yourself on court is a pretty daunting task. But that is what tennis does to you. The key to success in tennis is not just physical, it’s mental. Andrey Rublev at 23-years-old still has a long career ahead.
After a runner-up finish at the Monte Carlo Masters last week, Rublev didn’t have things all his own way on Wednesday but opened his Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell campaign with a win.
The world No.7 captured his eighth trophy last month at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam. So the young Russian has had a promising career so far. But in the big tournaments, a player needs to have the right mental strength to go all the way, and Rublev is still getting there.
After his first-round win over Italy lucky loser Federico Gaio, the third-seeded Russian spoke about his frustrations during the match. “It was more mental today”
Disappointed with his loss in Monte Carlo, he continued “It was the way I was behaving after what I was trying to do in Monte-Carlo. I got the win, which is the most important thing, but I do feel angry. When you’re not thinking, you’re always trying to find excuses, but I need to control my emotions.”
Does Andrey Rublev have the mental strength to win a Grand Slam?
Andrey Rublev of Russia celebrates winning the Mens Final match against Marton Fucsovics of Hungary with the trophy or plate during Day 7 of the 48th ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament at Ahoy on March 07, 2021 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
It is still early days for Rublev. Three quarter-final appearances in his last three Grand Slams shows that he is on the right path. But that is when you come up against the top-seeded players, where the margin for error is very less. In the end, it all comes down to the mentality and how you control your emotions.
There are no doubts about Rublev’s skillset, and his first-round win in Barcelona was a promising one, as he said it himself, that he had to deal with his emotions. It does not get easy from here. Seven best-of-five matches in 2 weeks is a whole different ball game. Only time will tell whether Andrey Rublev has it in him to win a Grand Slam.
