Rublev, in search of the peace that never comes

Andrey, it is said and known behind the scenes, is a peculiar guy; a little imp, it was already noticed then, in that already distant series that Spain played in 2015 in Vladivostok, where the Trans-Siberian route ends. Then, at 17 years old, he surpassed Pablo Andújar and already showed his tennis quality, but at the same time it was said that the boy had a rather special character. “It’s a bomb”. Two Rublevs: one on the track, a completely different one off it.

Almost a decade has passed and the Russian is today, thanks to his superb abilities and his shooting power, one of the best players on the planet, as was anticipated. However, he still follows that volcanic path that leads him too easily to go beyond his limits. His record shows the not inconsiderable figure of 15 titles, but the most important achievement is the one he achieved last year on the clay of Monte Carlo. After two frustrated attempts, there he raised his first Masters 1000, and now he is just one step away from catching the second; Everything will depend, to a large extent, on his ability to maintain his temper and self-control during the duel (6:30 p.m., Teledeporte and Movistar +) with the Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime.

The insult from Dubai still resonates, which cost them disqualification from the tournament at the end of March for unsportsmanlike conduct. “You fucking idiot!” he uttered. He argued that it was not directed at the line judge, but at himself, but the decision was forceful: in addition to the automatic elimination, he initially lost all the points he had achieved that week and also the financial reward, which amounted to more than 150,000 dollars (about 140,000 euros); Later, the ATP rectified it by considering that the punishment had been “disproportionate.” In any case, the episode helped reinforce the idea that the Russian is still far from knowing how to manage certain reactions.

It is common to see him spit out toads and snakes, and he impacted the scene in November during the last Masters Cup, when he sent a ball into the hallway while competing against Carlos Alcaraz and began hitting rackets on his left leg; There were six, with violence. He had to be treated on the track itself because he started bleeding.

Psychology, exercises and reports

“I had many warnings in life that showed me that I need to be calmer, not just the one in Dubai. I came close to doing something wrong many times, although I was lucky that everything turned out well. I have already had many warnings to be calmer. I’d like to think I’m getting better, but not because of those warnings; I would like to believe that I am the one who is improving,” says Rublev, 26 years old and advised from the bench by Fernando Vicente from Castellón and Beto Martín from Barcelona. The latter, a former tennis player and graduate in Psychology, joined his team a year and a half ago with the aim of tempering those frequent outbursts of anger, the whirlwinds of nerves and trying to reduce the levels of stress that he attributes to matches. To achieve this, a lot of daily work and a series of exercises reflected in the reports that reach the player’s hands so that they can detect critical moments.

“Everyone has their fears, in life and in sport. When something is so important to you, it is normal to be nervous,” he replied upon his arrival at the Caja Mágica, where he landed immersed in a crisis of results, after three eliminations in the first round (Miami, Monte Carlo and Barcelona) and another in the second (Indian Wells). And what does it feel like when you haven’t won for so long? “It’s not easy, but I guess that’s the good thing about tennis, that one week can change everything; “If you have a great week, it doesn’t matter that you have been losing before,” he explains. And, depending on how you look at it, he is right. After two months without winning a game, he now shines in the final in Madrid, in which he lands as a favorite.

In front will be Auger-Aliassime, fresh as a lettuce. The 23-year-old Canadian has the option of raising his first thousand without having worn out along the route these days and attends with the desire to make up for it. The injuries to Jakub Mensik (at 36 minutes), Jannik Sinner (did not take the court) and Jiri Lehecka (33 minutes of play) benefited him towards the resolution of this Sunday, becoming an unknown: logic says that the dynamics of Rublev – superior to Bagnis, Davidovich, Griekspoor, Alcaraz and Fritz – should prevail over that of the North American, who has been poorly shot and has been in the doldrums in recent times, but at the same time, Aliassime’s potential can occasionally overthrow anyone and if the As the duel drifts towards the psychological realm, a disconnection from the Russian, a flammable tennis player if ever there was one, should not be ruled out either.

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