Andrey Rublev is one of the best tennis players in the world but he doesn't feel pressure to unseat Medvedev and become Russia's top player.
Being the best player in a country is a great thing but for Rublev, it's not something he obsesses over and it's not something that motivates him as he simply wants to become the best possible player he can be. Whether that coincides with him being the best player from his country is an afterthought:
“I don’t feel responsible for being one of the best Russian tennis players and my goal is simple, to be better in my tennis, if I’m good in my tennis then everything is simply getting better in my results."
Even so he feels the pressure becuase it's always there:
"The pressure is always there but it depends on you, if you feel that
there is a lot of pressure, then there is a lot of pressure, but it
depends on you. It’s
not about feeling pressure or not, it depends on what you do with it
because everyone feels pressure, but it depends on you and what you do."
They recently played in Mexico with Rublev winning the exhibition in three sets. Both of them made their way to Miami next.