Karen Khachanov earned every bit of that win. He didn’t win because Kyrgios was injured, he didn’t win because Kyrgios didn’t care, he won because he was the BETTER player. Simple as that.
Amazing for him!
Rublev’s words on Rafa were nice: “His winning streak? Nadal is the best player in history. He can do anything. Sometimes it is better to sit back, watch and enjoy.”
And the way he just couldn’t stop smiling whilst taking about him 🥺
Rublev on facing Djokovic in the final: “Ohh, it’s gonna be fun, I have nothing to lose, I can go and enjoy it. He will be playing at home, it’s his moment. The best I can do is fight and do my best.”
Despite all the antics from Kyrgios, Sinner never said a single word. And instead let his tennis do the talking.
Everything about Sinner’s game should be celebrated. He was the one bringing the REAL entertainment with the way he played out there.
Amazing composure at just 20.
After watching how the crowd behaved towards Rublev and reacted (or lack of) to some of his shots last night. I now fully understand when Djokovic fans say they just cannot understand why the fans can’t just appreciate great tennis, even if you’re rooting for the other player.
For context: Rublev was DEFAULTED for saying “line, line, line, it was out, it was out”
Yes, you shouldn’t shout. But this was not worthy of a default.
@josemorgado
And he’s very justified. He was pulling off some unbelievable points and yet he was greeted with absolute silence. Even if you’re not supporting someone, at least have the decency to acknowledge them.
Wimbledon made the disgraceful decision to ban all Russian players, simply because of the country in which they were born…
And here we are, as Moscow-born Elena Rybakina has served up poetic justice by winning the tournament.
Wimbledon deserved this.
Was Rublev wrong to shout in the line judges face? Yes.
Did he deserve to be defaulted? Absolutely not.
A point penalty, fine. A game penalty, fine. A default? This is ridiculous.
Rublev was down 5-2 in the final set. He broke back when Rune served for the match. AND he was 5-0 down in the tiebreaker.
And yet… he NEVER lost his mind. He stayed unbelievably calm and composed. AMAZING!
For those calling for ALL Russians to be banned from everything because they’re somehow “all responsible & they could do more”
The likes of Rublev, Medvedev, Pavyluchenkova have done more & have risked MORE than you could ever imagine.
This is starting to look like xenophobia.
So in summary, Wimbledon’s ban of Russian players saw:
- Russian born Elena Rybakina win the Championship.
- Hands Daniil Medvedev the World Number 1 status by a huge margin.
👏👏👏
Rublev: “Yes, I like playing in France. But I hope, maybe one day, I won’t play always against French players so they could support me some more!” Laughs) 😂
Andrey started at the opposite end and worked his way around to sign for every single person, he didn’t miss anyone. It was absolutely crazy and honestly really overwhelming. I don’t know how he does it!
Andrey Rublev when asked how he finds the motivation to work as hard as he does:
“For me, it’s easy to work, it comes naturally because I enjoy tennis and I love it with all of my heart.” 🥺
It’s crazy that Andrey won this match. When you hear just HOW sick he actually is right now. He couldn’t eat solid foods because his throat was so bad and then… he got inflammation in his foot. He said he had to get multiple injections to be able to play today.
I can’t believe that some people are calling for all Russian tennis players to be removed from tournaments. These are individuals who have nothing todo with anything, in fact, they are doing quite the opposite in promoting ‘No War’ in front of a worldwide audience.
The most important thing for me is hearing Andrey say that he knows he’s making progress. I don’t care what anyone else thinks, because as long as he can see the improvements, that’s all that matters to us. Because there have been many!
Every loss is tough. But this time, there is some relief that Andrey will finally get the rest that he needs. Especially ahead of the French Open. He needs a little break to recover from everything he suffered in Madrid 🙏
Rublev: “There are many things I am looking to improve and I’m really trying. And if I’m not yet doing it really well, it just means that I have potential to be a better player.” ☺️
After Karen’s win tonight, he confirms his place back in the Top 20. And he also guarantees that Andrey will end the tournament back in the Top 10 no matter what happens 😊
If what Rublev did constitutes a default, then Nick Kyrgios would genuinely be defaulted from every single match he plays.
I have never before seen a player get defaulted for shouting or for swearing.
I think Rublev is ready to take a break. And who can blame him? Imagine having to prepare for a whole new surface, which only lasts a few weeks anyway and of which you’ve been mindlessly banned from the main event. He just needs a mental reset now.
Interviewer: “You had 13 aces today… are you happy with your serving?”
Andrey: “Well, I am happy with everything! I would be happy if I had zero aces as long as I won! (Laughs)”
@jamie_murray
Here’s to hoping that Tsitsipas doesn’t start angrily tweeting about Alcarez or making a dozen excuses for his defeat. Luckily he won’t, unlike some 👍
An incredible competitor, who provided a fantastic performance.
And even more importantly, he showed yet again that he has the biggest heart of all - even in the heat of battle.
We are beyond proud of you 🖤
Russian & Belarusian players will NOT be banned from competing in tennis. However, they will not compete under their countries flags. This is the correct decision: condemning the actions by their countries but crucially, not punishing the individuals who have done nothing wrong.
What an INCREDIBLE performance from Andrey Rublev!
60 winners.
80% first serve points won.
4/4 break points saved.
*18/24 net points won*
Showed a lot of variety in his game today against an opponent who can be very tricky to face 👏