'Practicing with Rafael Nadal made me push even harder,' said Andrey Rublev

Struggling with injuries, the talented Russian Andrey Rublev had to start from the beginning in 2019, passing one rival after another on the ATP ranking list to get where he belongs.

Andrey finished the season on the verge of the top-20 and set eyes on big goals in 2020 when he became one of the world's leading players after 41 victories and five titles under his belt! The Russian reached the quarter-final at back-to-back Majors in New York and Paris and dominated the ATP 500 series to crack the top-10 and secure his first ATP Finals berth.

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In his first match in London, Andrey lost in straight sets to his idol Rafael Nadal, unable to hold the emotions and deliver his best tennis. Speaking about Nadal in a recent interview, the Russian said that he loved to watch Marat Safin playing but that his idol was Nadal.

Andrey got a chance to train with Rafa when he was 16, enjoying every minute of it and feeling even more motivated to improve his game and challenge Rafa and other rivals from the top.

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"I liked the way Marat Safin plays, of course. As a child, Nadal was my idol. Now I periodically play and train with him. I remember our first training session when I was 16 years old; I experienced incredible sensations and a wave of motivation; I immediately wanted to work even harder to challenge him and other players from the top," Andrey Rublev said.