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Rublev: ‘I was Rushing, Overthinking’

  • Posted: Nov 17, 2021

Andrey Rublev acknowledged the emotional impact playing Novak Djokovic for the first time had on his performance after losing 6-3, 6-2 in Turin on Wednesday.

Rublev opened his Nitto ATP Finals campaign with an impressive 6-4, 6-4 victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas on Monday. But despite recording an early break of serve, the World No. 5 found himself increasingly outpaced by Djokovic, who finished the match with flair to win the Green Group.

“I don’t know how nervous I was because I was not thinking about it. Today was still a lot of emotions and I could feel it during the rallies,” Rublev said.

“Because it looks like everything is fine, it looks like I’m playing some good rallies, but then suddenly I’m making so many unusual mistakes, easy, from positions that normally I’m playing well and hitting hard from. Today I was missing a lot… It means I was rushing too much today.”

Djokovic’s relentless defence was on full display at the Pala Alpitour on Wednesday, with Rublev frequently pulling the trigger too early in rallies throughout the 68-minute match.

“I was rushing a bit, overthinking a bit,” Rublev admitted. “Because every time I was thinking ‘OK, now I have a chance to attack, now I have a chance to lead the point’. You think through the next two, three, four shots and then in the end you don’t even make this one, you know? And normally you just shoot and you don’t think.”

Rublev counts wins over Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Roger Federer among the 13 Top 10 victories of his career so far. But curiously, both his previous matches against players ranked World No. 1 – against Andy Murray at the 2017 Australian Open and Nadal at the US Open the same year – have seen him net just five games, the same number he won against Djokovic today.

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“This is normal, I have to pass through this experience. I’ve been through this when I was playing my first meeting against Andy, against Rafa, and it always takes time,” Rublev said.

“You need to play a couple of matches like this to feel your opponent and feel that you can compete with the best players. It takes time… Now is the time to take a lesson from this match and to give my best for the next match.”

The mental and emotional challenges Rublev will face in his next match should be of a different order. Friday’s opponent Casper Ruud is a player against whom Rublev has every reason to feel confident – the Russian has won all four of their previous meetings. But with a place in the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals on the line, the stakes will be high.

“I expect it’s going to be a physical match, a mental match, because Casper, he is really strong physically,” Rublev said. “He plays really aggressive, he is really great from the baseline. You need to play long rallies with him, you need to run a lot, so it’s going to be this kind of match.”

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Tsitipas Withdraws From Nitto ATP Finals, Norrie Takes His Place

  • Posted: Nov 17, 2021

Stefanos Tsitsipas has withdrawn from the Nitto ATP Finals due to a right elbow injury on Wednesday ahead of his second Green Group match at the Pala Alpitour in Turin.

Second alternate Cameron Norrie will take Tsitsipas’ place and face Norwegian Casper Ruud on Wednesday evening not before 9 p.m. Andrey Rublev defeated Tsitsipas 6-4, 6-4 on Monday in their opening round-robin match.

“I have taken the very difficult decision to retire from the 2021 [Nitto ATP] Finals due to my elbow injury, which has been bothering me for a couple of weeks now,” Tsitsipas said. “It’s a very difficult decision from my side and I was working really hard this year to get to play the Finals and be part of this amazing event, but unfortunately I won’t be able to continue.”

The 26-year-old Norrie is making his debut at the season finale following a breakthrough season in which he won his first title at the Mifel Open in Los Cabos and claimed his maiden ATP Masters 1000 trophy at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Norrie has only played Ruud once before, and that came less than two months ago in the San Diego Open final. The Norwegian was victorious 6-0, 6-2.

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Sinner Soaks In Turin Debut: ‘I Feel Good On These Courts’

  • Posted: Nov 17, 2021

It might not have been the Nitto ATP Finals debut that Jannik Sinner had been dreaming of, but the 20-year-old did more than make the most of it – he made as statement. The Italian kept the home flag flying in Turin as he earned his first win against Hubert Hurkacz in commanding fashion 6-2, 6-2.

And he did it with only a few hours to prepare: World No. 11 Sinner was in Turin as the first alternate, after narrowly missing out on direct qualification. When his countryman Matteo Berrettini found himself unable to compete due to an abdominal injury, Sinner was called on to replace him in the draw. 

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“I found out around 5:00 p.m. today,” Sinner revealed in his post-match press conference. “Obviously, [the match] was first supposed to be at 2:00 p.m., but they moved it to 9:00 p.m. to give [Berrettini] some more time to see if he can play or not. I was ready, I was waiting but I didn’t know at what time he would decide. 

“I have to say, I felt [good] today on court. I tried to play my best tennis, which I did in the moment. I’m very happy about my performance today.” 

Disappointing as it was to see his friend injured, Sinner took his opportunity and stepped into the spotlight at the Pala Alpitour to claim a statement victory. He dropped just four games against the Miami champion Hurkacz, and his serve was not broken in the 6-2, 6-2 romp. 

Looking at past results, Sinner’s game excels on indoor hard-courts – three of his five career ATP titles have come on that surface, including two in 2021 at Sofia and Antwerp. He has also compared the courts at Turin to the ones in nearby Milan, where he showed his best tennis in 2019 when he captured the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals trophy – a message to the rest of the Red Group.

“The courts are quite similar to Milan during the Next Gen [ATP Finals]. I won there a couple of years ago, and now I’m here,” he reflected. “They are quite fast, and I feel well on these courts. 

“And of course, the atmosphere is amazing, everyone cheering here for me and for Italy. Playing in Italy is special because you stick together and you want to win together, and I had this feeling today. When the whole stadium is playing [with you] against one guy, it’s not easy.” 

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As a result of his standing in the Red Group, Sinner still has a slim chance to qualify for the semi-finals – if he does, he would be the first alternate in Nitto ATP Finals history to do so. He has to defeat Daniil Medvedev in order to give himself a chance, but Hurkacz (0-2) must also defeat Alexander Zverev (1-1) for Sinner to go through. 

“I just try to stay focused on my next match and trying to play great tennis,” Sinner said. “That’s my first goal, because if you want to win against Daniil, you have to play your best tennis. He’s No. 2 in the world. He won a Grand Slam this year and a lot of tournaments, as well. So it’s going to be a tough challenge.”

Regardless of the outcome, the 20-year-old is determined to make the most of his experience in Turin. Sinner has already lifted a career-best four ATP Tour trophies this year, and secured his Top 10 debut in the FedEx ATP Rankings earlier this month by taking things one match at a time.

“At the moment I’m just happy about today’s match. Tomorrow I will go on court to practise, and then we’ll see what’s coming,” Sinner said. “Of course, you want to go on to the semi-finals, you’re trying to do your best but on the other hand, these are the best eight players in the world. And with me, nine. Everyone is tough to beat here, so let’s see what’s coming.”

Did You Know…
Sinner is the youngest player to compete at the Nitto ATP Finals since Juan Martin del Potro, 20, went 1-2 in Shanghai in 2008.

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Medvedev: ‘In The Third-Set Tie-Break, Both Of Us Were Shaken’

  • Posted: Nov 17, 2021

Daniil Medvedev defeated Alexander Zverev 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-6(6) at the Nitto ATP Finals on Tuesday to secure his place in the semi-finals – then jokingly wrote “Not tight. Hands are shaking” on the camera.

Medvedev explained the message after the match, admitting that nerves had played a crucial role for both players in the tight round-robin match.

“I think the second set, on these fast courts, where I had a lot of opportunities to maybe get closer to the win on his serve was not easy, because it’s like you feel the moment that you can win the match there,” he said.

“He’s definitely not going to make it easy for you, and there were a few points where I could have been better, and I think the nerves were part of it. But then in the third-set tie-break, of course both of us were shaken. That’s completely normal. Everybody would be: Novak, Rafa, Roger.

“That’s why I found it funny, because I think on the TV you don’t really see it because I was still going for the shots. I was not missing that much. I made a few great shots, and it was enough to win the match. So I guess people could look at it and say, ‘Wow, he’s not tight at all’, but, yeah, hands were shaking.”

Medvedev had reason to smile after the victory. Not only had he extended his winning streak at the Nitto ATP Finals to seven matches and ensured his place in the semi-finals, he had secured his fifth straight win over Zverev and taken the lead in their head-to-head for the first time.

Regardless, the US Open champion is not taking anything for granted.

“I always say against a Top 10 player for years, which is Sascha, I feel like no matter how many matches you win in a row you can basically lose the same amount in a row afterwards,” Medvedev said.

“Every match was different. Some matches I was in control. Some matches I remember he was up, really in control of the match, where I managed to turn it around. Today’s match was a matter of few points, was a really close match.

“I’m just happy that I made it against such a such a strong opponent, especially this year, has so many victories, titles. So I’m happy that I managed to have the edge in three meetings we had this year.”

After Medvedev beat Zverev, news broke that Matteo Berrettini was withdrawing from the Nitto ATP Finals due to injury, to be replaced by Jannik Sinner, who will now be Medvedev’s opponent on Thursday.

Despite already being declared the winner of his group, Medvedev has no intention of taking his foot off the gas in his last round-robin match.

“I think when you lose the match, you lose the momentum, so it’s always better to win… Always if you lose in the head-to-head it’s a loss, so I don’t like to lose. So I’m going to be 100 per cent.”

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Sinner Rocks Turin Debut With Hurkacz Win

  • Posted: Nov 16, 2021

Italian Jannik Sinner gave fans in Turin plenty to cheer for on Tuesday, as he dropped just four games in his winning Nitto ATP Finals debut against Hubert Hurkacz.

Sinner, the first alternate, replaced his injured countryman Matteo Berrettini after he withdrew from the tournament due to an abdominal injury. The 20-year-old became the fourth Italian to play singles at the Nitto ATP Finals in the event’s 52-year history – and he rallied the home crowd like a veteran at the Pala Alpitour, Italy’s largest indoor sporting arena. 

“I knew around 5 (p.m.) that I would play,” Sinner said. “I was ready to go on court. It is an incredible feeling playing here in Italy with thousands of people cheering for you and I am trying my best. I will enjoy the moment. I played well and felt good in the warm up. It was an incredible match today.”

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The World No. 11 saved all five of the break points he faced against Hurkacz, who was also seeking his first win in Turin. Sinner broke the Pole’s serve early in both sets of his 6-2, 6-2 win, and he was rock-solid from the baseline to clinch the victory in an hour and 22 minutes.  

Afterward, Sinner dedicated the victory to his countryman Berrettini and signed the camera lens with a message that read: “Matteo, you are an idol.”

“Matteo has been unlucky many, many times in his career and I wish him all the best,” Sinner said. “I am going to play for him at this tournament because he deserves to be here. I will give my best and it is a highlight playing here.”

As a result, Sinner is firmly in semi-final contention in Turin. He could reach the semi-final if he defeats World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in their next match, or if Alexander Zverev loses to Hurkacz on Thursday. With two defeats, Hurkacz currently sits at the bottom of the Red Group, while Medvedev has already booked his place in the last four. 

Sinner was eager to end the season on a positive note after narrowly missing out on directly qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals. Coming into Turin, Sinner has recorded back-to-back first-round defeats in Paris (l. to Alcaraz) and Stockholm (l. to Murray). 

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But he was back at his world-beating best against Hurkacz, in a rematch of their Miami Open presented by Itau final. The Italian got the crowd involved early as he broke Hurkacz’s serve to go 2-1 ahead, and then fought off three break points to see through a 12-minute service game.

With the Pala Alpitour rocking, Sinner made it a five-game run from 0-1 before Hurkacz found his footing at 5-2. But the second set unfolded much like the first, and Sinner quickly halted the Pole’s nascent comeback efforts with another break at 2-1. The 20-year-old didn’t look back, as he roared to his first victory at the ATP season finale. 

Did You Know…
Sinner’s victory over Hurkacz keeps him alive in the Red Group, and continues his bid to become the first alternate to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals semi-finals.

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