Andrey Rublev thinks “a lot of things can be learned” just from watching “smart” Daniil Medvedev. On Saturday, Rublev suffered a 6-2 6-2 defeat to Medvedev in the Dubai final. In his post-final press conference, Rublev spoke extremely highly of Medvedev.
“He’s a real, real great inspiration because he’s very educated, he’s very smart guy. Yeah, the way he play tennis, you can learn a lot of things by watching him. I think he brings funny moments. I think he brings entertainment because sometimes the way he acts, he do a bit – I don’t know – not standard things.
Sometimes I feel he have no coordination. When he do the weird things on court, they look so funny,” Rublev said, per Sportskeeda.
Rublev paid tribute to Medvedev on the court
Moments after losing to Medvedev in the Dubai final, Rublev acknowledged Medvedev’s journey and rise to the top.
“I have never said this to Daniil face to face, I have a huge respect for him. He’s a real champion and a real inspiration for the players because obviously we know each other since we were kids. Daniil didn’t have much financial help and I never heard from him that he was unlucky or didn’t have other players’ financial help, he was just working hard and proved that he’s a real champion,” Rublev said.
Meanwhile, 25-year-old Rublev fell short of winning his first title of the season. So far this season, Rublev has had two good runs – he previously made the Australian Open quarterfinal in January. Now, Rublev is set to participate at the Indian Wells Masters.
In Indian Wells, Rublev is set to make his fifth main draw appearance. Last year, Rublev enjoyed his best-ever Indan Wells run as he made the semifinal before losing to eventual champion Taylor Fritz. It remains to be seen how well can Rublev do in Indian Wells this year.
