Andrey Rublev believes he still has a lot of work to do before he considers himself as a true top 10 player.
The world No.8 has enjoyed a breakthrough season on the Tour by winning five ATP titles which is more than any other player in 2020. Among his triumphs, he claimed titles at 500 events in Hamburg, St. Petersburg and Vienna. Overall, he achieved a win-loss of 41-10 and reached the quarter-finals of two Grand Slam tournaments within the same season for the first time in his career.
Despite his surge over the past 12 months, Rublev says he still feels like a ‘guest’ inside the world’s top 10 when compared to others. Elaborating further, he admits that his self-control is an issue for him as he brands himself as the worst when compared with other top players.
“I am still the worst top 10 in this regard, although it is true that compared to the past there has been a considerable improvement,” Rublev told marca.com.
“I feel like I’m a top 10 guest. To really feel like one of them I have to find consistency and that means being in that position for a couple of years. It can be said that Thiem, Zverev or Medvedev have deserved to be there.”
Besides the self-criticism and the desire to improve further, the achievements of the 23-year-old hasn’t gone unnoticed. At this year’s ATP Award’s he was named as the ‘Most Improved’ player. An honour that was present to Matteo Berrettini in 2019 and Stefanos Tsitsipas the year before. Furthermore, his mentor Fernando Vicente was named coach of the year.
“He is the best coach for me because we think in the same way and it is something that goes beyond the court. There is no one better than him for my career,” he commented.
Undoubtedly Rublev will be one of the players to watch out for in 2021 as he joins a group trying to close in on the dominance of the Big Three. Although the Russian says he will be keeping his eyes on Roger Federer who will be returning to action following a lengthy knee injury.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing how he does it. Never in history has there been a case like him and I want to see what happens because it can serve as an example for me,” he said.
“I also want to extend my career as long as possible. I don’t see myself retiring at 30.”
Rublev is set to start his new season at the ATP Cup in Melbourne.
