Rubin Wins Australian Open Wild Card

Noah Rubin will make his debut Down Under at the first Grand Slam of the 2016 season after winning the USTA’s Australian Open Wild Card Challenge.

The New York native, who made his major debut at last year’s US Open (l. to Delbonis), amassed the most points in two of three events on the ATP Challenger Tour’s U.S. indoor hard court swing. Rubin won his maiden Challenger crown in Charlottesville three weeks ago, and clinched the wild card after fellow American teen Taylor Fritz fell in Saturday’s Champaign final.

“It’s probably the first time I had to rely on somebody else to lose for me to win, in a match I had nothing to do with,” Rubin told ATPWorldTour.com. “I didn’t expect that outcome, but I’m excited to see what’s going to come in the future. I’ve never been to the Australian Open before, even for juniors. I’m going to have to get acclimated to the temperature for sure, but I’m just excited about going there.

“The goal is to have no goals. Anything can happen so quickly. It’s just about having the mindset of being open and ready for anything. I was ranked No. 1,000 going out of school and now I’m around No. 350. In a couple tournaments I could be No. 250. It could happen so quickly. Just be ready for anything.”

2015 is over and now Australian Open is near. It is an incredible honor and I will do everything possible to prepare for 2016 and rep the US

— Noah Rubin (@Noahrubin33) November 22, 2015

The 19 year old became the 13th teenager to lift a Challenger trophy in 2015. He is the oldest of the group, which includes Fritz, Borna Coric, Alexander Zverev, Hyeon Chung, Thanasi Kokkinakis, Jared Donaldson, Elias Ymer and Karen Khachanov. At World No. 339, Rubin is part of a surging crop of American teenagers and he will conclude the season as one of five in the Top 350 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, with Donaldson, Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul.

Watch Rubin Interview

“These guys are unbelievable tennis players day in and day out, but they aren’t that much better than the guys I’m playing and they’re not that much better than me,” Rubin added, referring to his experience of facing a Top 100 player in Delbonis at the US Open. “Of course Djokovic and Federer are on a totally different stratosphere, but I believe I can play against anybody.”

The junior champion at Wimbledon last year, Rubin spent a year at Wake Forest University before deciding to pursue his professional career.

“Tennis is a sport of longevity now and you have these 27 year olds at their peak. I want to be mentally and physically prepared to play that long. I can’t be playing professionally and not be mentally prepared for what’s in store. The year (at Wake Forest) was necessary to get into that mental stage.

“I’m very fortunate with the people who are helping me and backing me up. It hasn’t been too much of a change. That being said, I’m still traveling with just one coach. I don’t have an entourage like Djokovic yet. My coach is making sure I’m doing what I have to do and keeping the professional sense in my head. Anything can happen, but with persistence and my feeling on the court and confidence level, I can escalate my game to play against the top pros.”