Tursunov: 'Andrey Rublev is more relaxed now'

A former junior no. 1 Andrey Rublev is one of the best young guns on the ATP Tour. Andrey couldn't fulfill his potential in 2018 and 2019, struggling with injuries and bouncing back in 2020 when he became one of the world's best players.

Rublev kicked off the season with back-to-back titles in Doha and Adelaide, continuing in the same style once the season restarted to celebrate Hamburg, St. Petersburg, and Vienna titles. The Moscow native will finish the season inside the top-8, making his ATP Finals debut and competing in two Major quarter-finals at the US Open and Roland Garros. Known for his exposed emotions, Rublev was capable of beating notable rivals and losing to lower-ranked opponents when his shots were not in the zone.

The Russian had left all that in the past, improving every aspect of his game and becoming one of the most consistent players in men's tennis. Happy about Andrey's progress, a former top-20 player Dmitry Tursunov shared an anecdote from 2019 when he saw the young compatriot throwing his racquet into the Wimbledon grass like a spear. Dmitry talked to Andrey and explained how to challenge his emotions on the court, which was notable in Andrey's matches this year.

"A few years ago, Andrey was like Tweek from South Park. He had exaggerated reactions, and it wasn't easy to tame him as he wanted victories badly. I saw Andrey at Wimbledon last year, witnessing him pounding the racquet into the grass like a spear, which is almost impossible. We talked for a couple of hours that day and I urged him to change his attitude and get rid of the hysteria that surrounded his game. He became more patient shortly after that, realizing it is more important to reach the goal than do it perfectly; it was very liberating. It all comes with experience, and Andrey is on the right path," Dmitry Tursunov said.