'It's never easy facing Rafael Nadal, but I will give my 100%,' said Andrey Rublev

Rafael Nadal and Andrey Rublev will face each other in the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-final on Friday, competing on the Tour for the third time after the US Open 2017 and the last year's ATP Finals.

Rublev is pleased with how he played this week, saying it will be very tough to beat Rafa at one of his favorite tournaments but feeling ready to give his best and challenge the king of clay. On Thursday, Nadal demolished Grigor Dimitrov 6-1, 6-1 in 55 minutes, storming over the Bulgarian who had tooth infection issues. Rublev toppled Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6, 5-7, 6-3 after two hours and 44 minutes in a much tighter clash.

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"Facing Nadal will not be a pleasant experience, that's for sure. Still, I'm looking forward to that, and I want to play at my best. It has already been a good week, so there will not be a lot of pressure, but I will fight," Andrey Rublev said.