Andrey Rublev is currently playing in the Dubai Tennis Championships but he is already thinking about another tournament which is taking place later this month.
The world No.8 is one of the most in-form players on the Tour having won six titles since the start of last year. So far in 2021 he has won the Rotterdam Open, as well as helping Russia secure the ATP Cup trophy. At the Australian Open he reached the quarter-finals before losing to Daniil Medvedev. Heading into the semi-finals of Dubai on Friday, he has a win-loss record of 16-2 so far this season on the Tour.
However, one area of the sport where Rublev is yet to make a mark is in the Masters events with his best run being to the quarter-finals of the 2019 Cincinnati Open. The 23-year-old is hoping to change that at the upcoming Miami Open which will be missing some top names. Some of whom have decided to skip the event in order to focus on the upcoming clay swing.
“I want to be as ready as I can for Miami because there’s not going to be Rafa (Nadal)…no (Roger) Federer, no Dominic (Thiem) and in my case, at all Masters 1000s, I have no points, so I can win a lot of points. It’s a really great challenge for me. I want to be ready to play good there,” he told reporters on Thursday.
During his press conference the Russian also said that Novak Djokovic would not be playing in Miami. Although this is not confirmed and the Serbian is still currently down to play in the tournament.
Rublev won a total of 41 matches on the Tour last season which was the joint-highest along with world No.1 Djokovic. Asked about what is driving him, he says he uses fear to his advantage.
“Maybe it’s this kind of fear, that it’s not enough,” Rublev said.
“The fear maybe I’m not gonna make it or fear that I’m not gonna be good enough for a while.
“In the end, the fear helps me to improve. So, that’s why I want to improve and improve.”
Gunning for another ATP 500 title this week in Dubai, Rublev will play compatriot Aslan Karatsev in the last four. He is the highest seed remaining in the draw after Dominic Thiem lost in the second round.
