Andrey Rublev nearly withdrew from the Madrid Open prior to his title win at the Caja Magica where he defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.
Rublev spoke afterwards on court and said that he had a fever which he couldn’t shift and it looked likely that he’d have to withdraw. But after help from the ‘magicians’ as he called them he was ready to go and he will be glad he was.
A second ATP 1000 title in the bag and a truly special week for Rublev. He will now head onto Rome hoping to continue his return to form in earnest.
“I was. There were a few issues I couldn’t fix. I have to give full credit to the doctors. They’re magicians. They were doing some tricky things.. Somehow I was able to at least play. I’ve never seen this in my life. They’re the best so far out of all the ones I’ve had on tour.”
Rublev says he almost withdrew from Madrid, it’s the title he’s most proud of in his career “We heard you had a fever and were really unwell. Were you at any stage close to pulling out of the tournament?” Andrey: “I was. There were a few issues I couldn’t fix. I have to give…
