Andrey Rublev explained how one of his shots let him down in the Canadian Open final.
The Russian competed in Montreal’s championship match against Alexi Popyrin but he was second best against the Australian.
The 25-year-old became the first Australian man to win a Masters 1000 title since Lleyton Hewitt in 2003.
His 6-2, 6-4 win secured the third title of Popyrin’s career and he beat three top 10 players on the way to securing the biggest tournament of his career.
Which shot did Andrey Rublev say let him down in the Canadian Open final?
Andrey Rublev struggled to impose his game from the outset as Popyrin struck 10 forehand winners in the first set to just one from the 26-year-old. Popyrin made 72% of his first serves in set one and only lost just three points behind his first serve.
Rublev, on the other hand, lamented his serving performance. He landed 44% of his first serves and won just 40% on the second serve.
“Alexei played unbelievable tennis. I was not serving well. When I was not serving well and you do not start good, you start to feel too many thoughts in your head,” Rublev told reporters.
“He was playing with even more confidence, all the important moments he played really well, and then when I was able to calm myself down and just play tennis, I was losing with a break in the second and I was able to come back. There I had a chance, I had a moment, but I was not ready.
“I did not play well again that game, I did mistakes, and he broke me straight away. That’s the difference between top players. When they are struggling and manage to get equals, they are able to turn their chances and I couldn’t.”
How does Andrey Rublev assess his Canadian Open campaign?
Rublev reached the Canadian Open final and beat Jannik Sinner on the way to Sunday’s championship match.
The Russian’s form over the last two to three weeks has improved exponentially after making the semi-finals in Croatia and quarter-finals at the Citi Open.
Despite not winning the Canadian Open, Rulev is pleased with the progress he has made on court and continues his road to the US Open.
“It’s a very positive and a really good week. A really big step forward I think. I feel proud of myself that I was able to be really good all week mentally,” Rublev added.
“If we took me back a couple of months ago or even one month ago or even compare my match against [Popyrin] at Monte-Carlo when I was losing, I was behaving ten times more and it was the first round.
“Here it was a final. Much more pressure. I still showed a bit of emotion today, but compared to the matches when I was losing the same way, I think I did a much better job. That’s why I had a little chance in the second set.”
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