After upsetting twelfth-seeded Paul in the latest bout in the Shanghai Masters, World No.7 Andrey Rublev revealed his modest nature in a post-match interview.
“I always prove that as better the chance is, the worse I perform,” Rublev said humbly despite putting on stellar performances in his recent matches and making it all the way to the quarterfinals.
He then proceeded to commend his contemporaries in the tournament, saying “And like I said, the next opponent is Ugo, just last week I lost to him. He is playing really well this week, he beat Stefanos. Then there is Jarry and Grigor in my draw, and I lost to Grigor many times. And Jarry I never played [with], but he’s playing this season unreal, only the way he serves his so tough to beat him so, not at all. And, they deserve to be where they are this week and that’s it because they played really well.”, via The Tennis Letter.
The Rublev interview
With Alcaraz out of the picture, Rublev remained the highest-ranked player in the Shanghai Masters and is now set to face thirty-second-seeded Ugo Humbert in the quarterfinals.
Last October 9, Rublev also put smiles on the faces of tennis fans as he ended his match with Adrian Mannarino with an apology and a tap on the back.
“Sorry man, I played unreal today”
All smiles at the net between @AndreyRublev97 and Mannarino
#RolexShanghaiMasters
"Sorry man, I played unreal today"
All smiles at the net between @AndreyRublev97 and Mannarino #RolexShanghaiMasters pic.twitter.com/QrlyvaVLCG
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) October 9, 2023
In the video, as the match came to a close, Rublev waited for Mannarino to come to the net before shaking his hand and tapping his back, all while saying “Sorry man, I played unreal today. Good job with Astana.” The two were seen smiling as they made their way out of the court, ending the match on a good vibe.
Tennis fans then flocked to the comment section of the video to applaud Rublev for being so respectful towards his opponents.
One X user said, “Even when he plays his best and beats you everyone still likes him. He has a very likeable personality. Great win Andrey ”
Another added, “He is so nice and respectful, more guys like Andrey and Sinner please!! Always kind words for their opponents!”
The photo above is from