Andrey Rublev, the Russian tennis ace, has been the center of attention along with other Russian players for quite some time now because of his nationality. However, with all eyes upon them, every statement they make will draw huge attention.

Recently, Andrey took part in the Serbian Open 2022. Many people had their thoughts stuck on the question that why the Serbian Open instead of the Barcelona Open? As Barcelona offers a bigger title and more game points.

Andrey Rublev Spoke About the Reason

Barcelona Open, being an ATP 500 event, stands taller than the Serbian Open, which is an ATP 250 event. However, in terms of surface, both the tournaments had clay courts. As both the tournaments run simultaneously, players have to make a choice. With players like Djokovic and Nadal, it becomes obvious that they would choose events based on their homelands.

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But with players like Rublev, the more profitable and challenging gain priority. Therefore, Rublev was put under the microscope. To which, responded by saying, “I feel the Barcelona tournament as if it were my home, but I had several reasons that led me to the decision. Last year, the organizers of the Barcelona tournament did not behave too well with some players, myself included. I don’t want to reveal the details, but they were very important issues.”

READ MORE: ‘We Are Not Here to Talk About Politics’ – Andrey Rublev Reveals About the Conversation the Russian Players Had With Wimbledon

“In Belgrade, I was treated ten times better than I expected.” He added.

Andrey Rublev got the better of Novak Djokovic, the sweetheart of Belgrade and also the defending champion. He clinched the title by 6-2, 6-7, 6-0 and spoke about playing against the legend in his hometown.

Rublev Spoke About Not Having a Major Title Win

Rublev’s year till now has been a roller coaster ride. He started with a decent third-round run in the Australian Open. Following that, he won the Dubai International Championship and made a run till the semifinals of Indian Wells. However, after Indian wells, his performance took a dip. Andrey’s participation in Miami and Monte Carlo was almost insignificant.

So we can say that this year was different, but Rublev’s inability to win a trophy higher than ATP 500 remained the same. The former world no.5 spoke about the same and said, “I think this is the key to me: what I miss most is the ability to control my emotions.”

“In big games, for some reason, I allow negative thoughts to flood my head, those thoughts that tell me I’m not going to win, and that’s something wrong,” he added.

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With the French Open at the doorstep, we hope now that Rublev has reclaimed his form in the Serbian Open, he will have a breakthrough.