The 26-year-old Russian tennis player, Andrey Rublev had a decent season this year. He made it through to the QFs of 3 out of 4 Grand Slams in 2023. The world number 5, has reached the QFs of all 4 majors in his career. But he’s the only male player in the Open Era, to have done so without progressing further in any major events. Can he improve his performance in the majors and win a Grand Slam this year? 

Well, Rublev’s coach recently gave an interview with Tennis Majors, where he drew a comparison with Carlos Alcaraz. He said that Rublev needs to become much better if he wants to win a Grand Slam. Rublev lifted two ATP Masters 1000 titles in 2023 and has been a constant in the Top 10 rankings list for quite some time now. Here’s what the 46-year-old Spanish coach said about his player’s recent performance.

Andrey Rublev’s coach drawing comparison with the 20YO Spanish rising star, Carlos Alcaraz

Fernando Vicente has been met Andrey Rublev for the first time in 2016. The coach admires the hard work put in by the Russians in their training sessions. But he feels Rublev needs to believe in himself to win big events in the sport. The number 5, had won a total of 14 titles in his career so far. When Vincente was asked if he’d have believed if someone had told him that Rublev would be a regular member of the Top 10 in a few years. Here’s what he said in reply.

“At the beginning, I was not convinced of that, because his body was not ready. The speed that you want, when you want to hit hard and you want to pass your opponents, you need to get the position. So if you don’t get the position and you are in a bad position, your power is not the same. So we improved a lot in fitness whilst mobility still needed to improve.” said Fernando Vicente.

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He further added: “If you compare (Carlos) Alcaraz or other players, the way they move, or I don’t know, let’s say there are many players that are moving super-fast. He improved a lot. And then we put balance on his game. He improved his serve. Year by year he’s doing things better. But to win the Grand Slams, you need to be more, I don’t know, stronger in all the ways,”.

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Although the 26YO is known for his aggression on the court, his warm personality off the court has made him a crowd-puller. Rublev is often seen spending time with his fans after the grueling practice session, and Vicente gets ‘pissed’ with this. The Spaniard said Rublev needs to be a little ‘more selfish’. He revealed how Rublev always tries to help those around him and never says ‘no’ to anyone. Vicente also sheds light on how Rublev respects his opponents despite going berserk with his losses.

The Russian was recently seen smashing his racket and injuring himself after the loss to Carlos Alcaraz at the ATP Finals. Currently, Rublev is in Abu Dhabi taking part World Tennis League. But just like Rublev, even Alcaraz had a decent season in 2023. Now, let’s have a look at what’s ahead of the Spaniard in the upcoming days.

Alcaraz looking ahead to the 2024 season

The 20-year-old Spaniard had a good start in 2023. But later on, he stumbled and lost his top spot to Novak Djokovic. Several experts have given their opinions on how the former number 1 also needs to improve to back his top spot outclassing the best in the business. Alcaraz had already won 2 major titles in his career. But he had missed the AO 2023, due to an injury. Rublev has never moved ahead of the third round at Melbourne Park. Can he turn the table this time?

Well, Alcaraz is leaving no stone unturned and currently, he’s in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He will be taking part in an exhibition match against his top competitor, Novak Djokovic on December 27 as a part of the Riyadh Season Tennis Cup. Can Alcaraz regain his top spot from the Serbian Superstar in 2024?

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