Andrey
Rublev spoke about his friendship with
Grigor Dimitrov before their highly
anticipated semifinal clash at the Shanghai Open, a Masters 1000 tournament.
The match
between the Russian and the Bulgarian promises to be an exciting battle with
intense exchanges between two players in great form. In this case, Rublev is
the 5th seed, making him the top favorite among the remaining players in the
tournament. He has already defeated three seeded players, including Adrian
Mannarino (31st), Tommy Paul (12th), and Ugo Humbert (32nd), all in straight
sets.
On the
other hand, Dimitrov (18th) has had one of his best weeks in recent years and
managed to defeat world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz on his way to the semifinals,
marking his most significant victory since the 2021 Indian Wells, where he
overcame Medvedev in the fourth round. Dimitrov also eliminated the 13th seed Karen
Khachanov and faced a tough quarterfinal against Nicolas Jarry (22nd).
Rublev and
Dimitrov, ranked 6th and 19th in the world, have spent several years among the
best on the ATP Tour and are close friends off the court. Rublev mentioned
their friendship ahead of their upcoming semifinal match.
“It’s gonna be a tough match. First, because
he’s a friend & I like him. Second, because he’s a really great player.
It’s really tough to beat him when he feels the game. When he’s in form, he can
play amazing,” 2023 Monte-Carlo champion said
"We can see
this week he’s playing really well. Especially the match against Alcaraz. Last
time he beat me in straight sets. We’ll see. I hope we can show great tennis
& the people will enjoy,” Rublev added.
“Is that
where the bromance ends?,” some journalist asked.
“I don’t
know. I just wish all the best for both of us,” concluded.
The
head-to-head (h2h) record between Rublev and Dimitrov is currently tied at 3-3,
with all their encounters taking place on hard courts. Their most recent
meeting was in the second round of the 2022 Vienna Open, with Dimitrov securing
a 6-3, 6-4 victory.
