“Most likely, I would not have won back in such a situation before”

On Sunday in the finals of the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, the €5.8 million Masters 1000 tournament that ended in Monaco, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Andrey Rublev in three games he defeated the Dane Holger Rune, winning his first title this season and 13th in his career title. In an interview with a Kommersant correspondent Evgeny Fedyakov the sixth number of the world rating explained why this victory was especially valuable to him, assessed the level of his game and spoke about his immediate plans.

– The tournament in Monte Carlo began for you with a meeting with the 83rd racket of the world, Jaume Munar, in which the Spaniard took the first set. What were you thinking then?

“I felt much stronger than him. And I understood that if I keep the right attitude, I will surely win the match. But after the first set, the thought flashed: “Well, it wasn’t enough to lose here right away when everything seemed to be getting better.” After all, before the start of the tournament, I knew that I was adding. However, then he coped with his emotions, so the second and third set of the meeting with Munar turned out to be completely different.

– Before the final against Holger Rune, did you remember the crazy match played with the Dane in the fourth round of the Australian Open, when you managed to escape by some miracle?

– I didn’t remember at all. After all, several months have passed since then. In addition, Rune feels more confident on clay. He runs well, plays high twist shots and loves to short. Therefore, I tuned in to the fact that here I would have to be even harder than in Melbourne. Actually, that’s how it happened.

— Let’s remember the middle of the third set. Losing 1:4 and having in the fifth game on your serve first 0:30 and then 30:40, did you still hope for something?

– There was a moment when the thought flashed: “Now, probably, that’s it.” But if you compare this final with my previous masters finals (in Monte Carlo and Cincinnati in 2021.— “b”), as well as some other important matches, today everything was a little different. In the past, after losing the first game and losing with a break in the second, I often lost heart. But here I thought: “Let me lose again, but at least I will do everything that depends on me, and I will fight for every point. And there, who knows – suddenly you are lucky and you will be able to turn everything in your direction? In the end, that is what happened.

– Can this victory be called your psychological breakthrough?

– Certainly. I will not hide, there was a relief. Still, after so many failures and suffering, I managed to win the Masters, and even with such a score. Most likely, before in such a situation, I would not have recouped. Therefore, the feeling is now special. I’m even a little proud that I managed to control myself.

– Last year, also on Easter, in the final of the tournament in Belgrade, you beat Novak Djokovic. Maybe you have some Easter signs?

“I have no rituals, no signs. This Sunday morning I spent exactly the same way as on the rest of the days. If it wasn’t for the congratulatory messages on the phone, I probably wouldn’t even understand that it was Easter.

– Do you know that the last time this tournament was won by Andrey Chesnokov from Russian tennis players in 1990?

– Certainly. When you don’t have any Masters wins at all, it’s nice to win any of them. But it is much more pleasant to win a tournament with a rich history that goes back more than 125 years.

— There was a little embarrassment at the awards ceremony. In your championship speech, you confused Princess Charlene with the President of the Monaco Tennis Federation. Did Prince Albert II and his wife take the situation normally?

– Yes, I think so. I explained myself and it seemed to go off without a hitch. It’s just that for two years the princess did not take part in the award ceremony (then in the final Rublev lost to Stefanos Tsitsipas.— “b”). In addition to the prince, there was only Mrs. President. So now I’m confused.

— The mud season has just begun. In Monte Carlo, did you show your maximum level of tennis on this surface?

I hope it’s minimal. I still have a lot to improve. But in tennis everything comes from the head, and I hope this tournament will help me break through a certain psychological barrier and think in the right direction.

— Do you know that in one week you scored more rating points than in the entire previous season?

– Well, it was still “masters”! And there are not enough points.

– In the ranking, which takes into account the results from the beginning of the season, Daniil Medvedev is now the first, you are the fifth, and Karen Khachanov is the eighth. Do you think the three of us will be able to qualify for the final tournament in Turin?

– It seems to me that Danya has already got there in any way. Even if they don’t win a single match by the end of the year. As for me and Karen, we’ll see. There are many important tournaments ahead, and there will be more contenders for Turin than last year. Great play Yannick Sinner, Taylor Fritz, and the same Holger Rune. Sasha Zverev, who has been in the top five for several years in a row, has already won the final tournaments twice, and has not played since May last year due to injury, is starting to add. So the competition will be very intense, and instead of relaxing, we need to gain momentum.

– From Monaco you fly to a small category 250 tournament in Banja Luka. Aren’t you afraid to work hard for more important competitions in Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros?

– No. The Madrid tournament lasts twelve days, starts in the middle of the week, so there I will have a pause before the first match anyway. The Italian Open will have the same schedule, and I skip the last week before Roland Garros and will only train.