Andrey Rublev lost to Carlos Alcaraz at Nitto ATP Finals

In the second round of the Nitto ATP Finals – the final tournament of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) taking place in Turin with a prize fund of $15 million – Andrey Rublev lost all chances of reaching the semi-finals from the Red Group. In two games against the second racket of the world, Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, he was able to take only seven points at the reception. A Kommersant correspondent observed the problems faced by last year’s Russian semi-finalist from the press box of the Pala Alpitour arena. Evgeny Fedyakov.

The vast majority of tennis players who make it to the final tournaments already have a certain background of personal matches. However, Andrei Rublev and Carlos Alcaraz have never met before in official competitions, although they have known each other for a long time. Back in February 2020, when the 16-year-old Spanish junior had just won his first match at the ATP level, Rublev, in a conversation with a Kommersant correspondent, noted his efficiency and love of tennis. In the more than three years that have passed since then, Alcaraz has become a figure of a different scale. His triumph at the US Open and rise to the top of the world classification last year shook up the balance of power in the world elite. This season, the Spaniard won his second Grand Slam tournament – Wimbledon, but lost his leadership in the rankings and will now be able to claim it only based on the results of the Australian Open in January. Although much here will depend on what result Alcaraz himself will show in Turin and what Novak Djokovic will achieve here, who, having guaranteed himself first place at the end of the year, will compete in a marathon confrontation in the second round of the group stage on Tuesday conceded to Italian Jannik Sinner in the third set tiebreaker.

The stakes in this game were extremely high, and Rublev started better than against Medvedev in the first round. In any case, he managed to confidently hold his serve four times in a row. However, Alcaraz played with a huge reserve, generating the highest ball speed when hitting with the help of a sharp turn of his athletic body.

Compared to the match against Alexander Zverev, the Spaniard looked more accurate, more powerful and more confident, while Rublev, whose health raised questions even at the press conference on Monday, entered the court with a cold – with a cough and runny nose.

The first serious problem the Russian faced that day was the break point he faced in the ninth game. But after two games, Alcaraz still took someone else’s serve and took the lead, which allowed him to soon successfully complete the first game. The beginning of the second set began with another failure from Rublev. And then he really gave vent to his feelings – he hit his left leg with the rim of his racket six times in a row, resulting in a bloody abrasion above his left knee.

Subsequent events showed that Rublev’s physical and moral strength were practically exhausted. He, of course, still tried to do something, but to succeed in a meeting with such an opponent, much more was required. The result was 7:5, 6:2 in 74 minutes.

How significant Alcaraz’s advantage was is illustrated by the fact that in ten games he gave up only seven points on his serve.

At the press conference, Rublev did not deny that poor health affected the quality of his play, but he did not emphasize this topic. “It’s clear that today he was simply better than me. The way he moves, the way he hits the ball, shortens it, volleys at the net, makes him one of the best players in the world,” the Russian told a Kommersant correspondent about Alcaraz.

Having lost his second match of the tournament in straight sets, Rublev lost the opportunity to advance to the semi-finals, regardless of the result of Wednesday evening’s match between Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev. Alcaraz, on the contrary, significantly increased his chances. And the level of tennis he demonstrated in his meeting with Rublev suggests that the Spaniard is getting into shape. So it will be very difficult for Medvedev, with whom he will play in the third round on Friday.