After turbulent history, Andrey Rublev credits calmness for major Los Cabos comeback.
Andrey Rublev credited staying calm for avoiding a shock Los Cabos quarterfinal exit as the world No. 10 said that he just didn’t want to panic, even if that meant he would lose the match.
On Thursday evening in Los Cabos, the Russian – who is the top-seeded player at this year’s tournament – found himself in major trouble after world No. 123 Emilio Nava went 7-5 4-2 up.
With his back turned against the wall and two games away from picking up a surprise loss, Rublev showed great mental fortitude and responded by winning the next seven games to steal the second set from Nava but also open a 3-0 lead in the decider. The Russian tennis star then just held on to his serve for the rest of the match to complete a 5-7 6-4 6-3 win.
It is not a secret that Rublev in the past, Rublev had moments when he would completely lose it when things didn’t go right – the best example of that is his 2024 Dubai meltdown, when he yelled in a line umpire-s face and got disqualified.
Rublev: I just wanted to stay calm and focused and that was all
“I think two things [helped me]. Firstly, I stayed calm, and secondly, I just tried to be focused and stay there. At least if I deserved to lose today, [I wanted] to give 100 per cent focus, because you never know what can happen, and in the end, it paid off. I was there, I was focused, and in a crucial moment [in the second set] I was able to break back. Then the match started to change,” the 27-year-old said after coming back to beat Nava.
In what will be his first Los Cabos semifinal, debutant Rublev will take on world No. 76 Aleksandar Kovacevic. Kovacevic upset the Russian in their lone meeting in Montpellier earlier this year. However, there is no doubt that the top-seeded Russian enters their Los Cabos match as the big favorite to win.
