Former US Open finalist Daniil Medvedev believes the key to the rapid rise of Andrey Rublev this year is down to the work he has put in on the practice courts.
The world No.5 has praised the work ethic of his Davis Cup teammate who won his fifth title of the season at the Vienna Open on Sunday. 23-year-old Rublev has been victorious at two 250 and three 500 ATP events on the tour so far in 2020. He has won more titles than any other player on the Tour this year and is joint-first with Novak Djokovic for most matches won at 39. Rublev also reached the quarter-finals of both the French Open and US Open.
Speaking about his compatriot during media day at the Paris Masters on Sunday, Medvedev describes the level of his fellow player as ‘amazing’ at the moment. The two have known each other since both taking part in under 10s tennis tournaments. Medvedev, who is one year older than Rublev, leads their head-to-head 3-0 on the ATP Tour.
“With practice he works so hard all his life. He has been working so hard, especially when he moved to Spain. I think that’s the key for any tennis player especially when you’re younger,” Medvedev said of his friend.
“Some injuries were bothering him before but he hasn’t had any injuries for a long time right now, so he’s on top of his form.’
“(He has) A lot of confidence. We see a lot of close matches going his way, all of the tiebreaks. I think he didn’t lose a set in Vienna, so he is just amazing right now.’
“So hopefully he can continue his form as much as he can but of course not when he plays against me.”
On Sunday Rublev officially sealed his place in the ATP Finals for the first time in his career following his triumph in Vienna. The last Russian male player to have won as many titles as him within the same season with Nikolay Davydenko back in 2009.
A year ago it was Medvedev who was the most talked about Russian player in men’s tennis after he won his first two Masters 1000 titles and reached the final of a Grand Slam in New York. However, 2020 has been somewhat different with him being unable to reach the final in any of the eight tournaments he has played in. Despite his lack of silverware, Medvedev is staying upbeat heading into this week’s Paris Masters.
“Of course confidence could be a little bit higher when you go further in the tournaments but physically and mentally I feel ready for the end of the season,” he said.
“I don’t feel burnt out. So that’s the most important. Even though we can say maybe this season it’s tough to be burnt out (due to the Tour break). We see a lot of withdrawals, a lot of tough moments from many guys. I’m ready to fight and ready to show my best.”
Outside of the ATP Cup that took place at the start of this year, Rublev is the only top 20 player Medvedev has beaten. Overall, he has won 18 matches so far this season and earned more than $1.7 million in prize money.
“This season is really different. So it’s tough to compare to other seasons. So talking about me as a player, I’m trying to progress every day, but of course the higher you go, the tougher it is,” he concluded.
Medvedev and Rublev are the third and fifth seeds in Paris this week. Both of them have a bye in the first round.
