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Russian claims his fifth trophy of 2020
Can anyone stop Andrey Rublev’s incredible run of form?

The red-hot Russian beat Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday after one hour and 19 minutes to win the Erste Bank Open, lifting his ATP Tour-leading fifth title of the season. The 23-year-old is now tied with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic atop the 2020 match wins leaderboard with 39.

"This tournament is really special for me because my grandma was also Austrian, so I have Austrian blood," Rublev said during the trophy ceremony. "It's a really special title for me."

2020 Match Wins Leaderboard

Player W-L
Novak Djokovic 39-3
Andrey Rublev 39-7
Stefanos Tsitsipas 28-11
Alexander Zverev 23-8
Diego Schwartzman 23-11
Felix Auger-Aliassime 23-17
With the Vienna title, Rublev has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. There is only one singles spot remaining at the season finale, to be held at The O2 in London from 15-22 November.

This was the second title of the year Rublev earned without losing a set (Doha). Perhaps even more impressively, the Russian did not get broken in 38 service games. The last player to lift a trophy without dropping serve was Alex de Minaur in Atlanta last year (42 service games).

2020 ATP Tour Titles Leaderboard

Player Titles
Andrey Rublev 5
Novak Djokovic 4
Cristian Garin 2
Ugo Humbert 2
Gael Monfils 2
Rafael Nadal 2
Alexander Zverev 2
Sonego had only been broken twice entering the final, but Rublev wasted little time making the Italian pay for a short sloppy patch. At 2-2 in the opening set, the lucky loser made back-to-back uncharacteristic forehand errors to give Rublev the break, and the fifth seed never looked back.

Rublev saved two break points when serving for the opening set, staving off one of those chances with a daring second serve. Sonego battled hard in the second set, continuously trying to pump himself up and going after his shots to keep Rublev from running away with the victory. But a critical crosscourt backhand error at 4-4 did in the World No. 42.

Rublev has won 19 of his past 20 matches and owns a 15-match winning streak at ATP 500s. Since the ATP Tour restarted in August, he has triumphed in Hamburg, St. Petersburg and now Vienna. The champion leaves Austria with 500 FedEx ATP Ranking points and €105,240.

Sonego had a dream week, despite falling short of the trophy. The lucky loser, who replaced Diego Schwartzman in the draw, earned the biggest win of his career in the quarter-finals against Djokovic and backed it up with an impressive victory against tricky Brit Daniel Evans in the last four. The Italian earned 300 points and €85,000.

"This was one of the best tournaments of this year. It was an amazing final for me," Sonego said. "I like Vienna and thank you for all the support."

Did You Know?
Rublev is the first Russian to win five ATP Tour titles in the season since Nikolay Davydenko in 2009. Davydenko played 23 tournaments that year, finishing it off by lifting the trophy at the Nitto ATP Finals. The Erste Bank Open was Rublev’s 12th tournament of 2020.

Russian discusses relationship with his grandmother, who recently passed away
Nobody on the ATP Tour is hotter than Andrey Rublev. With his Erste Bank Open triumph on Sunday, the Russian lifted a Tour-leading fifth title in 2020 and he is now tied with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic for the most victories this season with 39.

Judging by his on-court efforts, you’d never know he’s playing with a heavy heart. Last month, his grandmother passed away.

"This tournament is really special for me because my grandma was also Austrian, so I have Austrian blood," Rublev said during the trophy ceremony. "It's a really special title for me."

Rublev spent a lot of time living with his grandparents growing up, especially during his school years. His grandmother was one of the most important people in his life.

“The school was right next to the house of my grandparents. I was always living with them,” Rublev said. “Grandpa was always driving me to tennis practice and then my mom was coaching me during the tennis practices. Then grandpa was driving me back home and grandma was always preparing the food, doing homework with me. She was one of the main people in my life.”


Rublev was born in Russia and his grandmother moved out of Austria when she was young. But his family connection, especially given her recent passing, made triumphing in Vienna even more special.

“We were thinking to [get] Austrian passports, but when we realised I am able to do it, it was too late, 20 years later, something like that,” Rublev said, cracking a laugh. “In the end it’s nice because my grandma has a sister and they are living in Vienna. It’s a nice story.”

It’s extra motivation for Rublev, who has enjoyed the best season of his career. The 23-year-old began the year with two ATP Tour titles and now he has seven. With his Vienna victory, he guaranteed himself a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals, to take place from 15-22 November at The O2 in London.

“Of course I would not believe it [at the beginning of the season], but in the end it happened and I’m really grateful for that,” Rublev said. “I’m really grateful to all the people who are around me, to my team, all my friends who are always surrounding me because at the end they make me who I am and without them for sure I would not be able to do it.”

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The World No. 8 is the fifth Russian singles player to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in the event’s 50-year history.

“I’m happy that I will compete in London for the first time. I’m really looking forward [to it],” Rublev said. “There are still so many things I need to improve and it’s going to be a really good challenge for me to see what exactly I need to improve to be at that level, to be able to compete against the top eight players. It’s going to be a great experience for me.”

Rublev has shown he belongs amongst the sport’s elite this season. Just this week, the Russian defeated World No. 3 Dominic Thiem in straight sets at the Austrian’s home event. While he has big dreams like many players, Rublev won’t stray from the formula that has gotten him this far.

“Of course I think for all of us the goal is to be No. 1, to try to win Grand Slams,” Rublev said. “But of course I try to be realistic and now the main thing for me if I want to be a better player is to improve the things I am missing, [the things] that I can do better and I should do better. If I want to be on the next level, I need to improve them.”

The right-hander consistently speaks more about how much he needs to improve compared to discussing the success he is having. Rublev knows that to stay at this level and continue ascending the FedEx ATP Rankings, he cannot rest on his laurels.

“I’m not expecting nothing. I just want to do my job as best as I can, to enjoy tennis, because this is what I really love,” Rublev said. “Of course these results give me confidence that I’m on the right [path], that I’m doing more or less the right things. Of course I can do better and I should do better, but it gives me confidence that me and my team and my friends are moving in the right direction. We’ll see what’s going to happen next. I’m really looking forward [to it].”

Russian will feature in Group London 2020

From the start of the 2020 ATP Tour season, Andrey Rublev has achieved consistent success.

The Russian, who leads the ATP Tour this year in titles won (5) and tour-level match wins (40), has booked his place at the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time with confident performances. Rublev has won titles indoors, outdoors, on clay and on hard. But that does not mean the World No. 8 is not nervous about his debut appearance at The O2 this year.

“Of course, I am feeling nervous. It is my first time,” said Rublev. “You are with all the best players here and of course, you feel nervous. This is a normal thing because we are all humans… This is the moment we are playing for and we are working for.”

Rublev started the year by becoming the first player since Dominik Hrabty in 2004 to win back-to-back titles in the opening two weeks of the season (Doha, Adelaide). The Moscow-native began the year with 11 consecutive wins and continued to raise his game after the ATP Tour suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The seven-time ATP Tour titlist has won three ATP 500 titles since the ATP Tour's August restart and reached back-to-back Grand Slam quarter-finals at the US Open and Roland Garros. All those experiences have left Rublev feeling a sense of gratitude. The 23-year-old took a moment to pay tribute to his support network ahead of his first match at the elite eight-man event.

“I am really grateful for everything that I am [experiencing], for everything that I have been through,” said Rublev. “I am really grateful for the team that I have [and] for the friends that are around me because they support me a lot. We have the same vision [and] they give me a lot of energy so, in the end, I am where I am today because of them.

“I have been working really hard. With all the support around me, it gives me double [the] energy and double [the] motivation. I am not alone and when you are not alone, it is much easier and you are much stronger.”

After winning his fourth ATP Tour title of the season at the St. Petersburg Open, Rublev voiced his opinion on whom he believed to be the best athlete in history. His answer was Rafael Nadal.

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When the draw for the tournament was made on Thursday, Rublev was placed in Group London 2020 alongside the 20-time Grand Slam champion. The Russian is looking forward to testing his game against Nadal on Sunday evening, when the pair will meet for the second time in their ATP Head2Head series. Nadal won their only previous encounter in the 2017 US Open quarter-finals./p>

“I am looking forward [to the match]. He is one of the best players in the history of tennis, so I have nothing to lose. I'll go there to enjoy. All the pressure will be on him and in the end, we will see what is going to happen. I will try to do my best and we will see.”

Rublev will also meet US Open champion Dominic Thiem and reigning Nitto ATP Finals titlist Stefanos Tsitsipas in round robin action. The seventh seed owns 2-2 ATP Head2Head records against both of last year’s finalists.

“All of the matches are really tough. It is the best players in the world of tennis competing against each other. Every match is so tough, so interesting,” said Rublev. “I played with Dominic a couple of times [and] I played with Stefanos a couple of times. I won some matches against them [and] I lost some matches against them, so it is going to be fun, it is going to be really interesting.”

Two of the past three editions of the event have been won by tournament debutants (Dimitrov, Tsitsipas). With form on his side, Rublev will be hoping he can continue that trend at The O2. The first edition of the event to be held in London in 2009 was won by a Russian (Davydenko), so why not the last?

Russian is making his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals
Rafael Nadal was one of Andrey Rublev’s idols growing up. While the Russian has proven he has the level to compete with the best players in the world, he admitted on Sunday evening that playing the greats still takes some getting used to.

In his first-ever Nitto ATP Finals match, Rublev fell against Nadal in straight sets.

“I don't really play with top players, so all the other players, they play much more with [the] top players, and me… it's [only] my second time against Rafa,” Rublev said. “I only played three times against [the] top three players [Nadal, Djokovic and Federer]. I don't really have much experience, so [the] more I will play against them, [the] better I think I will perform every time.”

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The ATP Tour’s season leader in titles (5) and wins (40) is now 0-2 in his ATP Head2Head series against the Spaniard. Their last clash came at the 2017 US Open, where Nadal triumphed in the quarter-finals 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. Rublev beat Roger Federer in their only previous meeting at last year’s Western & Southern Open. He has never faced World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

Rublev believes that his relative lack of experience made the difference at The O2 in London.

“I was serving not good at all, because I was a little bit nervous, which is normal,” Rublev said. “When he broke me in the second set, I relaxed and I started to serve much better. Then [it] was [a] different game, but it was too late.”

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The Moscow-native didn’t feel there were any issues with his lead-up to the season finale. Entering his battle against Nadal, he had played 30 matches since the ATP Tour’s August restart (25-5). But Rublev feels he recovered sufficiently after a three-set loss at the Rolex Paris Masters against Stan Wawrinka.

“Here I came fresh. I rested a couple of days. Then I practised just [a] few days,” Rublev said. “It's more about experience. Rafa is one of the top players, so he wins a Grand Slam, he wins one [ATP] Masters [1000], and he basically doesn't need to play [as] many tournaments [as me]… In my case it's different. I need to fight for my spot, so I needed to play those weeks.”

The benefit of the round-robin format is that Rublev isn’t eliminated. The seventh seed will have a chance to recover in Group London 2020, with matches still to come against US Open titlist Dominic Thiem (1-0) and defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas (0-1). One person who doesn't seem worried about Rublev's loss is the man who beat him: Nadal.

"Andrey played an amazing season. He's a great guy, too," Nadal said. "I wish him all the very best."

Russian upbeat after narrow loss to Tsitsipas

Despite committing a double fault while holding match point in a must-win round robin match at the Nitto ATP Finals, Andrey Rublev’s overriding emotion after his loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas was not disappointment.

The Russian, who is no longer able to qualify for the semi-finals, showed gratitude for the consistent success he has experienced this season and focussed on what he can learn from his second defeat of the tournament on Tuesday night.

“I am grateful for this season. I cannot complain,” said Rublev. “I won so many tournaments that I never won before. This year, I won more tournaments than in [the rest of] my career. I won more matches than [any other year] in my career. I am the one who cannot complain. I can only be grateful for this season. I became Top 10 for the first time, so this season was amazing for me.”

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At one point, it looked like Rublev would be heading back to his private locker room at The O2 with less than an hour on the clock. The Russian managed to win just one game in the first set, which Tsitsipas claimed in 19 minutes.

But Rublev raised his game in the second set and came within one point of earning his first victory at the elite eight-man event. The seven-time tour-level titlist was proud of the mental strength he showed and how he was able to turn the match around after such a one-sided opening to the encounter.

“It is amazing [that] I could turn around this match,” said Rublev. “Basically, it was supposed to be maybe 6-1, 6-3 and I was still there, I was still fighting and, in the end, I had match point…. I was almost there and I had my chance to win the match, so I am really happy with my mental [strength] today. This is the only thing I can take to play against Dominic, because against Dominic you need to have really strong mental [strength] and then you need to play an amazing match.”

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The 23-year-old may no longer be able to qualify for the semi-finals, but he is still motivated to test himself in his final Group London 2020 match against Dominic Thiem.

Rublev will be searching for his third straight ATP Head2Head victory against the Austrian, who became the first player to qualify for the semi-finals on Tuesday. The Russian recently defeated the World No. 3 en route to his fifth title of the season at last month’s Erste Bank Open in Vienna.

“Dominic won two matches. He [played] one of the best matches this year today against Rafa, so he is already in the semi-finals. He has nothing to lose,” said Rublev. “He will go on court and he will play free. He is in really great form now, so we will see. This week he [has been] much better than me, but still I will try to give my best effort to see if I can compete.

“It is a great experience because this event gives you chances to play against the best players and you have to use all of them. It doesn’t matter even if I am already out. Still I have to play my maximum because, in the end, it is the best players and I need to perform my best.” If Rublev can earn a win against Thiem, he will not only end his breakthrough season with a career-best 41st victory of the year, he will also gain 200 FedEx ATP Rankings points. Although the Russian has never needed extra motivation for a big match, it will surely be a welcome added incentive.