It is a “fairy tale” that Andrey Rublev lives after winning his first Masters 1000 by overturning a badly embarked match against Holger Rune, Sunday in the final in Monte-Carlo.
How does it feel after winning your first Masters 1000?
“It’s a great feeling. After trying so hard, so many times, losing in the final, in the semis and even before… finally I won my first Masters 1000. I did it in Monaco, in a truly historic tournament. It is a pleasure to be part of this story. And then, to be down 4-1 in the last set, save a break point for 5-1 and finally win the match, it’s really a fairy tale.
Did you ever think you could win such a tournament?
“I never thought that. I always told myself that if I did the right thing off the court, if I trained right, I would have a chance to win big titles. However, I didn’t know when it would happen. Especially since I had played two finals, semi-finals, and I had not yet succeeded. And finally, it happened here. Last week again, I did not imagine myself winning the title. And then, match after match, I started winning…and I’m finishing with the title!”
Now the goal is a Grand Slam title?
“I don’t know… In fact, the goal is always the same: I’m doing very good things in training, I like the way I’m working with my new team regarding the physique, the recovery, tennis and the mind. I think that’s the right way to do it. I feel that I can improve a lot. I’m doing very good things in training and I don’t know when it will show up in the game. Finally, today, I won the title. So the objective remains the same: to work hard and in the current direction to try to progress as much as possible.