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Russian was the top seed in 2017
It was a title match that got away from Andrey Rublev, but now the Russian has qualified to make a second run at the Next Gen ATP Finals crown.

The 21-year-old Moscow native has qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals, joining Alexander Zverev of Germany, Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas, Denis Shapovalov of Canada, Aussie Alex de Minaur and Americans Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz as players to have qualified for the 21-and-under event, to be held 6-10 November at the Fiera Milano. (Zverev will not play in Milan because of his Nitto ATP Finals qualification.)

Eight players will compete next month, with the final spot reserved for the winner of an all-Italian qualifying tournament to finish on 4 November. Rublev fell in last year's Milan final to Hyeon Chung of South Korea. Here are five things to know about the fiery Russian:

1. He Played In A 'One Direction' Tribute Band
Rip forehands, record singles – Rublev does a bit of everything. Years ago, he and childhood friends Ivan Juravlev, Slava Naumkin and Vlad Naumkin formed the band “Summer Afternoon”. A few years ago, they released their first music video, a cover of One Direction's “Steal My Girl”.

You May Also Like: Not Just One Direction For Rublev
But don't expect Rublev to drop his racquet in favour of a guitar anytime soon. He said in September 2015: “For sure in the future I would like to release some music... But tennis comes first and we'll see what happens later. The band will do more music, but I don't know if I'm going to be part of it or not. Right now, tennis is the most important thing for me.”

Watch: "Summer Afternoon" Covers "Steal My Girl"


2. It's His Second Time In Milan
Last year Rublev was one of the leaders of the #NextGenATP group. The Russian not only qualified for the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals; he was the tournament's top seed and was dominating the final until Chung reversed momentum.

“I understand that I have to change, and I agree. I will try to do my best,” said Rublev, after losing despite leading by a set and 3-1. “I think even if you compare me in the beginning of the year, still I'm much better. Mentally I'm much better. I'm controlling better my emotions. But still, there is long way to go. If I want to compete with good players, it's not enough.”

3. He Made History In Umag
Rublev was done. He had lost his final match in qualifying at the 2017 Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag and was thinking about his next tournament. But then Borna Coric withdrew, Rublev became a lucky loser, and the Russian enjoyed one of the best weeks of his career.

Read & Watch: Rublev Beats Lorenzi For Maiden Title In Umag

Rublev beat third seed and defending champion Fabio Fognini in the quarter-finals and home favourite Ivan Dodig in the semi-finals before knocking out Italy's Paolo Lorenzi in the title match. Rublev became the seventh lucky loser to win an ATP World Tour title and the first since Rajeev Ram at Newport in 2009.

Watch Highlights: Rublev Wins Maiden Title In Umag


4. He Gets His Fight From His Dad
Rublev is an emotional player on the court, shouting and pumping himself up throughout the match. He gets that tenacity from his father, who was a boxer in Moscow.

Watch: At Home With Rublev In Moscow


5. In New York, He Was The Youngest Since...
Last year, during his second US Open, Rublev upset two Top 15 players – No. 9 Grigor Dimitrov and No. 14 David Goffin, who would later compete in the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals title match – en route to the quarter-finals, where he fell to No. 1 Rafael Nadal. Rublev became the youngest US Open quarter-finalist since Andy Roddick in 2001.

“The main thing now is to try to keep working harder and harder, to improve, because I still have a lot of things to improve,” Rublev said after losing to Nadal. “This match told me how far I am and how much I need to improve, so now it is time to try to be better and become stronger.”

Action at the Fiera Milano begins on Tuesday
The 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals field is set.

On Sunday, Liam Caruana won his third match in three days, defeating World No. 301 Raul Brancaccio 2-4, 4-1, 4-3(4), 4-3(5) to clinch the Italian 21-and-under wild card playoff and guarantee his spot at the Fiera Milano. The 20-year-old, who came back from two sets down against Luca Giacomini in Saturday's semi-finals, leapt up and smashed away an overhead to clinch the victory.

Caruana joins Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alex de Minaur, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Andrey Rublev, Jaume Munar and Hubert Hurkacz in the prestigious tournament.

Caruana has climbed as high as No. 375 in the ATP Rankings, earning seven match wins on the ATP Challenger Tour in his career. The Italian is not unfamiliar to the Milan contenders, though. Caruana lives in Texas, and practised with American Taylor Fritz when they were juniors.

After reaching the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals championship match one year ago, Andrey Rublev made an early statement in 2018 with strong results to kickstart his season. The Moscow native reached the Qatar ExxonMobil Open final (l. to Monfils) and posted consistent results at his next three events, winning six of nine tour-level encounters.

It appeared to be just a matter of time before Rublev would break inside the Top 30 of the ATP Rankings for the first time. But that was before injury struck and fellow #NextGenATP stars moved into the spotlight.

"I didn't watch tennis at all for these three months [where I was out of action]," said Rublev. "I didn't want to know anything at all about it... I was not surprised, but I did not know that many NextGen players like [Stefanos] Tsitsipas and [Denis] Shapovalov were so high in the ATP Rankings."



A stress fracture to Rublev's lower back brought the 6'2" right-hander's season to an abrupt halt after the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. For the next two months, only one option was available to the Russian star rest.

"I was practising a lot in that moment. Plus, I changed racquets for a little bit," Rublev said of before the injury. "[The racquet] was much lighter, so I was forcing my body to hit much harder, all this time. The practices were more intense and probably, at that moment, my body was a little bit weak."

While recovering from injury, Rublev received messages of support from ATP World Tour stars on Twitter. The 2017 Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag titlist admitted he took a risk returning to practice sessions as early as he did, but he was eager to rejoin his fellow players on court.

"[In the four weeks prior to my return] I needed to start everything from the beginning," said Rublev. "Especially with this injury, you need to take care [of your body] and not force it too much, to make sure it doesn't happen again. I started again four or five weeks earlier than I should have started."



You May Also Like: Read & Watch: 5 Things To Know About Rublev, Who Qualified For Milan


Just in time to defend his trophy in Umag, Rublev returned to action in July with uncertainty over how his body would react to the test of competing at the highest level on the ATP World Tour. A hard-earned victory over #NextGenATP Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, after two and a half hours, provided not only answers to some of the questions in his mind, but also joy.

"It was a really special moment. A really emotional moment," said Rublev. "I was really surprised for two and a half hours that I was keeping the same intensity. After the match I was completely destroyed, but during the match I still had the energy to play and to fight. It was a really, really good moment for me."

With injury worries behind him and a return to the Next Gen ATP Finals confirmed, Rublev will be keen to go one step further than last year. The innovative eight-man event, which starts Tuesday at the Fiera Milano, could provide the perfect ending to a difficult year for the 21-year-old. After a season stalled by injury, the 2017 runner-up enters Milan with full confidence in his body, a warning sign to his rivals as he sets his sights on the trophy.

"Now, I am feeling great," said Rublev. "Physically, I am feeling stronger than before the injury."

One year ago, Andrey Rublev was impressive in reaching the championship match at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals. And on Tuesday, the Russian made a good start to his second appearance at the Fiera Milano, coming back to defeat American Taylor Fritz 4-2, 1-4, 3-4(4), 4-3(2), 4-2.

“I played really well for this first match and I’m really happy because I beat such a great player, especially since the last time I lost against him,” Rublev said. “I’m really happy with my first match.”

In the pair’s only previous FedEx ATP Head2Head match, it was Fritz who prevailed, defeating Rublev at this year’s BNP Paribas Open. The American used his backhand down the line and increasingly ran around his backhand to aggressively hit his forehand after losing the first set in Italy. But a veteran of the format, Rublev knew that it was not over.

“With these rules, everything can change… everything goes so fast. If you lose a little bit of focus, it can cost you a lot. So I know that [down] two [sets to] one, I was losing, but nothing happened,” Rublev said. “I just needed to stay focused and if I had a chance, I needed to take it.”



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Rublev is the only player in this year’s field who also appeared in Milan last season. In round robin play, the Russian is now 3-1 combined in both of his appearances at the tournament. He has played four five-setters from six total matches at the event, holding a 3-1 record, with his only loss coming in last year’s final against Hyeon Chung.

The 2017 Plava Laguna Croatian Open Umag champion earned 16 break points in the match, including six in the final set, taking advantage of one of those opportunities to gain the lead he needed against Fritz. To his credit, the American saved 13 of the 16 break points he faced, but Fritz was only able to win 36 per cent of second-serve points.

Rublev jumps to the top of Group B action after his one-hour, 55-minute triumph. No. 2 seed Alex de Minaur and wild card Liam Caruana, the other two members of the group, are set to compete in the second match of Tuesday's evening session.

Russian defeats Italian wild card in 62 minutes

Andrey Rublev has showcased his talent at the Next Gen ATP Finals before, thrilling fans at the Fiera Milano one year ago with his run to the championship match. And on Thursday afternoon, he maintained his hopes of advancing to the semi-finals this time around, beating Italian wild card Liam Caruana 4-3(7), 4-1, 4-2.

"Today was a completely different performance. My attitude, I think, was the best attitude out of these three matches. I was focused. I was not complaining. I was trying to fight for every point because I know that every point for me costs a lot," Rublev said. "I was just trying to win each point, every point, doesn't matter the score. And I won in three sets, so now we'll see how it's going to happen later."

Coming out on top in straight sets may prove key for Rublev, as it forces Taylor Fritz to defeat second seed Alex de Minaur in three or four sets. If Fritz takes down the Aussie in five sets, Rublev will join De Minaur from Group B in the semi-finals.

It took Rublev four set points to close out the opener, as the inspired Italian tried to earn a victory for his home fans on Next Gen Arena. But the Russian hit a heavy backhand that Caruana could not handle to take the lead, and he would never look back.

"When the score started to be 6/6, 7/7, I feel that I just needed to make one ball inside and probably he's going to miss, and then this happened. And then I think he did two mistakes with the first shot, and I won the set," Rublev said. "I played aggressive but I was lucky and twice I broke him in the first game, second and third set."

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After the first set, Rublev’s coach, Fernando Vicente, utlised the prestigious tournament’s headset innovation to tell his charge to simply reduce his errors, continue moving his feet and be wary of serving too much to Caruana’s forehand, as the eighth seed was routinely blocking it back.

“We need to return more balls. That’s all. You are playing good,” Vicente said. “You stressed a little bit at the end of the set, but you are playing good. Trust in yourself.”

Rublev did just that, losing just three service points in the second and third sets combined. The 2017 Umag champion won 75 per cent of second-serve return points in those sets, ultimately earning his second win of the week in one hour and two minutes.

Caruana did well to win three qualifying matches in three days last week to earn his spot in the Next Gen ATP Finals. And while he did not earn a victory, the Italian provided plenty of memories for the fans, and he will use the experience as he continues his ascent up the ATP Rankings.

Caruana did well to win three qualifying matches in three days last week to earn his spot in the Next Gen ATP Finals. And while he did not earn a victory, the Italian provided plenty of memories for the fans, and he will use the experience as he continues his ascent up the ATP Rankings.

Russian ends week in Milan with 3-2 record
On Saturday morning, Andrey Rublev went to sleep at around 3 a.m. after suffering a devastating fifth-set defeat at the hands of Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last four of the Next Gen ATP Finals. But the Russian bounced back later in the day, beating Spaniard Jaume Munar 1-4, 4-3(4), 2-4, 4-2, 4-3(3) to earn third place at the Fiera Milano.

“It was a tough two matches,” Rublev said. “In both I was strong mentally. Yesterday I was a little unlucky. Today is the opposite, I was a bit lucky.”

Rublev was the only player in the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals field who also competed at the prestigious 21-and-under event last year in its inaugural edition. But in 2017, Rublev was the top seed, reaching the final. This time around, the 21-year-old was still working his way back from a lower back injury that kept him out of competition for three months.


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Nevertheless, Rublev still put forth a strong effort in Milan. The World No. 68 won two of his three group matches, and pushed World No. 15 Tsitsipas to the brink in a thrilling semi-final. And then the fifth seed maintained his level to beat Munar after one hour and 48 minutes.

“It’s nice to finish the season that strong mentally, I would say,” Rublev said. “I hope this is a new beginning for the next season.”

Rublev, who won 82 per cent of his first-service points in the match, finishes the season with 20 tour-level match wins for the second consecutive year. Thanks to his efforts, the 2017 Umag champion leaves Milan with $194,000.

It’s been clear for the past two years that Rublev is one of the biggest hitters from the baseline on the ATP Tour. But there’s no reason to believe the 2017 Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag champion cannot continue improving.

Rublev climbed as high as No. 31 in the ATP Rankings earlier this year after reaching the final of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. But a lower back injury kept the Russian out for three months, and he was forced to spend the end of the year rounding back into form. Rublev found a good level again in November, finishing in third at the Next Gen ATP Finals. And now that he's healthy, Rublev can ride that momentum into a strong 2019.