No cracks in Andrey Rublev’s game during straight sets romp over Dominic Thiem
Andrey Rublev admits that being drawn against Dominic Thiem wasn’t his idea of a perfect first round opponent.
Rublev showed no signs of the fragility of mindset that plagued him in 2022 as he blew past Thiem 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
A pair of break points in the second set, which he saved, were the only blemish on a near-perfect match for Rublev.
Thiem couldn’t live with Rublev’s booming forehand and was chasing shadows on the Russian’s serve.
“When you see that you have to play against Dominic, it’s never easy,” Rublev said
“Plus we are really good friends. I know that he’s going through a not easy time, so I just want to wish him all the best, to wish him to come back on the same level that he belongs as fast as possible.”
Rublev, was delighted to get the match over with in short order given the extreme heat in Melbourne on Tuesday.
“It’s super hot today so I’m really happy that I was able to win in straight sets to save some energy for the next match,” he said.
Rublev has reached the last eight of a Grand Slam on six occassions but is yet to progress beyond that stage.
In his last visit to the Grand Slam quarter-finals, Rublev suffered something of a mental capitulation.
He noted: “Everyone has their own weaknesses.
My weakness is the mental one, and little by little I’m trying to improve that.”
“Most people make mistakes and that’s how it works.
“Athletes do them too, that’s how we are. I have great tennis to reach the next level, but I avoided it myself. In New York I did better on the court as a person, I was better as a player, I was more professional. I was able to handle the moments of tension and difficulty, but it takes time.”
Rublev still feels that he is making progress after he came through a tough test against Denis Shapovalov in the third round in New York.
“First I would have exploded and for this would have lost the game.
“However, even in times when it seemed impossible to keep calm, I managed to do it. It felt like a turning point and I managed to win that match.
“After that game I felt a little proud of myself, if I have to be honest. I’ve shown on the pitch that I’m a better person when it comes to handling these situations, but I don’t want to focus on that. It was still time to get back to reality and solve the problem.”
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