Andrey Rublev admitted that Novak Djokovic was simply too good during their Australian Open quarterfinal match. On Wednesday, Djokovic dismantled Rublev 6-1 6-2 6-4 to progress into the Australian Open semifinal. In November, Djokovic defeated Rublev 6-4 6-1 at the ATP Finals to push their head-to-head to 2-1.
After losing to Djokovic at Melbourne Park, Rublev said this was the best Djokovic he ever played. “Out of three times that we played before, today he played much better compare our previous meetings, even in Torino.
Today, in my opinion, he was playing much better. That’s it. I don’t know what else to say,” Rublev said after the match, per Musab Abid.
Andrey Rublev on Novak Djokovic’s performance today:
“Out of three times that we played before, today he played much better compare our previous meetings, even in Torino.
Today, in my opinion, he was playing much better. That’s it. I don’t know what else to say”. — Musab (@Musab_Abid) January 25, 2023
What Djokovic said of the Rublev win
Even though Djokovic lost a total of three games in the first two sets, he insisted that the match wasn’t as easy as the scoreline would suggest.
“Overall I think that the scoreline in the first two sets doesn’t speak the truth or the reality of the match. It was some really close games that we had. Andrey is a great opponent, a great player. I’ve got tonnes of respect for him, one of the biggest forehands, one of the the quickest players on the Tour.
If I have to sum it up, all the important shots, the important moments I found my best tennis. So that’s what makes me the most pleased tonight,” Djokovic said after beating Rublev. Meanwhile, 25-year-old Rublev has continued his negative record in Grand Slam quarterfinals.
Rublev has appeared in seven Grand Slam quarterfinals so far in his career and he now owns a 0-7 record. Last year, Rublev admitted that it was the mental game that was stopping him from making a Grand Slam breakthrough. Playing Djokovic at the Australian Open is one of the most difficult things in tennis but Rublev didn’t play well enough and he didn’t stand much of a chance against Djokovic.
