Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev has stunned the world no. 3 Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters. Yet, the world no. 8 player believes that it sometimes gets ‘too hard’ on Nadal to live up to his ‘Clay court legend’ tag every time.
“I don’t even know what to say. Cannot imagine being in the situation of Rafa, knowing that you are the best player on clay,” Rublev said. “I think for him it must be incredibly tough.”
As Rublev implied in the post-match press conference, he discussed the key takeaways from his victory against Nadal. Further, he cited this victory as one of the best wins of his entire career.
With the Russian beating the 20-time Grand Slam champion on one of his clay strongholds, he is all set to face the Norwegian player, Casper Ruud, in the semi-finals.
We must also mention that Andrey Rublev has joined the ranks of Novak Djokovic (2013, 2015), Fabio Fognini (2019), David Ferrer (2014), and Guillermo Coria (2003) as one of only five players to beat Rafael Nadal at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Rublev believes Rafael Nadal will end up with most Grand slam wins
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Rublev might have claimed an unprecedented victory against a top-tier player. Nevertheless, his respect for Nadal and his legacy on the tennis court stands steady and strong. On being asked about which player he thinks will end up with the most ‘grand slam’ wins, Rublev simply puts his bet on the Spaniard.
“Right now, I think Rafa is the one with the best chances because he has already reached Federer’s 20. And, at Roland Garros, he is definitely the big favourite,” Rublev said.
“Federer is coming off an injury and hasn’t played many games. He needs to regain his rhythm, his form and get ready for the grass and try to win Wimbledon. And there is Novak, who has won Australia again and is No. 1 in the world. It will be difficult to beat.”, he further added.
The world No. 8 now sets his eyes on his maiden Monte Carlo masters title. Nevertheless, his victory against Nadal on clay court paves the way for all the aspiring young tennis stars around.
