Andrey Rublev shares honest feelings about facing Jannik Sinner in Italian Open quarterfinals

Andrey Rublev stopped by the Tennis Channel desk at the Italian Open following his Round of 16 come from behind victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili. His interview with Prakash Amritraj showed what a kind and gentle soul he is.

Rublev is looking happy and healthy on and off the court and spoke about trying to manage himself mentally in tough matches to not be so hard on himself.

His demeanor has changed since hiring Marat Safin as his coach. Rublev’s honest reaction about facing World No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Thursday in the quarterfinals was hilarious.

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What Rublev said

When Amritraj mentioned Sinner’s name, Rublev started laughing.

He said out loud what all of the players on the ATP Tour are thinking. Sinner is not the player they prefer to play right now, but it will be a challenge. As athletes, they want the challenge, but they also like to win.

Rublev also added that Sinner has to be close to losing at some point. That is true. Sinner is playing outstanding tennis, but no one can go undefeated in the brutally long tennis season. Someone is going to get a win against him.

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Rublev vs. Sinner

Rublev has weathered the ups and downs of the sport. The 28-year-old has 17 ATP titles on his resume and has been a quarterfinalist at all of the Grand Slams at least one time.

He has the right attitude and approach to facing the currently unbeatable Sinner. In their 10 previous meetings, Rublev won three. One was on clay at the 2022 French Open. Sinner got revenge last year defeating Rublev in Paris.

Watch the Rublev vs. Sinner match live on Thursday on Tennis Channel at a time yet to be determined.