On the eve of the ATP Finals in Turin, Andrey Rublev contemplated being drawn in a group with Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. “What am I doing here?” the Russian sixth seed asked.
On Friday night, Rublev put the finishing touches to an answer that began four days earlier with a tenacious three-set win over Daniil Medvedev. Outgunned by Stefanos Tsitsipas for a set, the 25-year-old assiduously worked his way back into the contest before putting the pedal to the metal in the decider to claim a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory.
What is Rublev doing here? Demonstrating his mental toughness and ability to fight. Showing that he has the belief to go further after reaching six grand slam quarter-finals and cementing his place in the world’s top 10. Reaching the biggest semi-final of his career, where he will have the chance to avenge a round-robin defeat to Casper Ruud at last year’s finals, the only blemish on his record against the Norwegian in five meetings.
Proving, in short, that his place at the game’s top table is merited.
It might seem odd that such evidence should be required from a player with 51 tour-level wins this season. Yet Rublev has often been his own worst enemy, his emotional nature and readiness to castigate himself over the slightest mistake blocking the path to greater success. It is barely two months since the Muscovite, who has spoken with disarming honesty of his struggles, broke down in tears in the latter stages of a straight-sets defeat to Frances Tiafoe at the US Open.
“Everyone has their own weaknesses,” said Rublev at last month’s Astana Open. “My weakness is mental, [but] little by little there are some improvements.”
An early sign of those improvements came two in the third round at Flushing Meadows, when Rublev fought back from two sets to one down to beat Denis Shapovalov in a fifth-set tiebreak.
“[Before] I would already explode and because of that lose the match,” said Rublev. “But even in the moment it looks impossible to [maintain composure], I was able to do it. It was giving me a turning moment and I was able to win the match.”
There have been similar turning points in Turin, where Rublev overcame the disappointment of missing seven set points in the first set against Medvedev – and four match points in the decider – to triumph 9-7 in the climactic tiebreak.
He showed comparable fortitude against Tsitsipas. For a set, the Greek second seed allowed Rublev no breathing space, conceding just two points on serve and making no unforced errors.
A disastrous service game at 1-2 showcased the best and the worst of Rublev, who raced to a 40-0 lead behind three huge first serves only to shoot himself in the foot with a pair of double faults, a smattering of forehand errors and a troubling inability to make inroads behind a second serve that has too often proved his undoing.
The Russian expressed his frustration by slamming his racket into the ground and casting an agonised glance towards his box. With Tsitsipas unrelenting in his commitment to attack, the conditions looked ripe for a Rublev meltdown, particularly when he was outrallied twice in quick succession to fall 0-30 behind at the start of the second set.
Instead, Rublev recovered to hold with some monstrous ball-striking, kept his head down and his emotions in check, and claimed a deserved break in the eighth game. That proved enough to take the set and, as his confidence grew, so too did his ability to make an impression on the Tsitsipas serve. A break in the third game of the decider effectively sealed the Greek’s fate as Rublev, rifling winners from the baseline and increasingly commanding on serve, ran out a convincing winner.
“I didn’t give up,” said Rublev. “I kept fighting and playing. I lost my emotions a bit when I lost a stupid game at 40-0 in the first set. I let my emotions go.
“But then I just kept fighting and playing. I thought I would have chances if I just gave my best. I managed to turn the match around.”
While Rublev demonstrated his mettle, Tsitsipas showed an absence of grace and humility that will do little to aid his quest for a title commensurate with his undoubted talent. The Greek began the week in the knowledge that an unbeaten run could propel him to the No 1 ranking. He departs Turin with nothing more notable than an unseemly and unbecoming dig at the relative merits of his opponent.
“I didn’t really feel threatened,” said Tsitsipas, the champion of three years ago. “It’s a shame. I feel like the better player. I felt like I could do more with the ball today.
“I felt like I could just be much more creative. I don’t even have to say that. I think it’s quite obvious.
“He prevailed with the few tools that he has. He was able to really take advantage of them and win today.”
Tsitsipas undoubtedly has formidable options at his disposal but, for an Athenian, his grasp of hubris appears surprisingly limited.
The contrast with Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev, who fought an epic battle over three hours and 11 minutes despite having nothing to play for beyond pride, points and prize money, could hardly have been more pointed.
“The biggest battle, as I’ve said before, is always the inner battle,” said Djokovic, who had qualified for the last four with emphatic victories over Tsitsipas and Rublev long before facing the already-eliminated Medvedev.
“There is no secret potion or one way to success. I feel it’s always important to have an open mind, open ears, open eyes, and learn from every experience hoping that you can use certain lessons that you learned for the next time to be better and to maybe avoid big oscillations.”
It is a lesson that Rublev, modest to a fault, has learned well – and it may yet carry him to his most significant prize.
“I don’t know if I have few tools or not,” said Rublev on learning of Tsitsipas’s remarks. “If we go shot by shot, I think his backhand is better than mine. His forehand is not better than mine. The speed serve is not better than mine.
“Obviously he’s a better player, because he’s higher ranked and he achieved better results. It’s obvious. There is no doubt.
“But I don’t think that I beat him because of few tools. If you take our match, every match, we have tough battles. This year I lost to him twice in three sets, and now I beat him in three sets. We always have tough matches.”