Stefanos Tsitsipasbelieves he owes Russian Andrey Rublev an apology after he lost to the world number 8 in the ATP’s season’s finale.
Tsitsipas said he felt like he was the better and more inventive player on the court that day compared to his opponent last month in Turin. He added that Rublev “prevailed with the few tools that he has.”
Rublev’s group-stage victory put an end to Tsitsipas’ 2022 season and earned him a spot in the semifinals in Turin. Naturally, Tsitsipas received a lot of criticism for his comments on Rublev’s game. In response, he mocked his detractors on Instagram with the caption “Dear haters, I have so much for you to be mad at, just be patient.”
During a recent interview with the Arab News, Stefanos Tsitsipas commented: “What I said in that press conference against Rublev was very unfair towards him and not correct.”
“I really wanted Andrey to win the next match and my approach was to add fuel to the fire a little bit, to make him want to be more hungry and more concentrated on his next match,” Tsitsipas added.
Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2022
At the moment ranked no.4, the Greek played his last match on the 18th of November when he lost to world no.8 Andrey Rublev 3-6 6-3 6-2 in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
This year Stefanos has a 61-24 record. Tsitsipas has won 2 titles in 2022 in Monte-Carlo and Mallorca. Tsitsipas got to the final in Rotterdam, Rome, Cincinnati, Astana and Stockholm.
Andrey Rublev in 2022
At the moment ranked no.8, Rublev played his last match on the 19th of November when he capitulated to world no.3 Casper Ruud 6-2 6-4 in the semifinal in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
This year the Russian has achieved a compiled 51-20 record. The Russian has won 4 titles in 2022 in Marseille, Dubai, Belgrade and Gijon.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev played each other 12 times. Their actual record is 6-6. The last time they played, Andrey Rublev won 3-6 6-3 6-2 in the round robin in Turin (Nitto ATP Finals) on the 18th of November 2022.
In the video below you can watch the highlights.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrey Rublev |
| Embed from Getty Images |
