Rublev warns: "The level is finally there, I am hitting the ball well"

Andrés Tomás Rico | 4 Jul 2025 | 19.10

Rublev warns: "The level is finally there, I am hitting the ball well." Photo: Getty Images

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Andrey Rublev can be a real threat. The Russian is feeling the ball again, something essential for a natural striker like him. Additionally, on a surface like grass where the ball speed is of paramount importance, his tennis can inflict a lot of damage. This is what is being seen in this Wimbledon, where the Russian has already advanced through three rounds, with the first two being very demanding against Laslo Djere and Lloyd Harris, but in his last match against Adrian Mannarino (7-5, 6-2, 6-3), he showed his best form in many months. Something that Carlos Alcaraz should consider, as a potential opponent of the Russian in the round of 16.

The Moscow native appears somewhat more relaxed and looser on the court, no longer as tense and irritable, although his outbursts of anger are never ruled out. And part of this serenity is due to the fact that he is hitting the ball as he wants, with power and great speed, and that in Wimbledon is a double-edged sword. So, regarding his current great tennis, the possibilities of facing the Spanish player, and the parity in the men's circuit, he spoke in a press conference.

Happy with his displayed tennis so far

"Even before starting Wimbledon, I was joking with my team, as if I didn't know what I was going to do, if we were going to lose in the first round and then go home or not. But the level is finally there. I'm playing well. I'm hitting the ball well. I'm starting to feel that, yes, the level is there, and it's just a matter of time in terms of results. Even during all the months I was practicing hard, it seemed like I was doing things right and not hitting the ball poorly, but deep down I felt that something was missing. But finally now I know that I'm hitting the ball, again, really well. Better than I have in a long time."

Nothing like his first-round exit last year

"I don't know, because last year, of course, you don't want to lose in the first round in Grand Slams, but sometimes it happens. We can see it this year with many of the top players. It also happened to me at the Australian Open. But it's not crucial because we still have tournaments, we still have more Grand Slams ahead. This year, of course, I'm happy to have won three matches. So, it went better than last year. It's already better than nothing.

No recipe for playing against Alcaraz

"What is it like to play against him? I don't know. But with me, in the last matches, he has played well and crushed me. Especially the last one in Turin. He played incredible against me. It's the same feeling as with Sinner. You're playing against the best players. They know how to do everything. They know how to hit. They know how to defend. They know how to be patient. They know how to be mentally strong. They know how to serve, how to return. It's like 'okay, I'll have a chance if I also play my best tennis today, then maybe I'll have a chance. If I show weaknesses, you're done.' So, you can't show any weakness. That's the difference. Because in some matches, you relax a bit or complain a bit, but still, you can win because you're far ahead on the scoreboard or you're the better player. With them, one or two points cost you the match."

An interesting analysis of the current parity in the circuit

"It has happened because, first of all, now the level of tennis has increased a lot. In my opinion, the players nowadays all know how to play tennis. They can all serve hard. They hit at 220. Many of the players, even if they are not so tall, sometimes hit the ball forcefully without thinking. There's no tactics. There's no strategy, just hitting, and that's it. When they play like that, they can easily lose, and that's why maybe they are ranked 90th or so because they can't play like that constantly. But then they have those days or those weeks when they feel the ball. They have nothing to lose because they're playing against the player who is better than them, and suddenly those shots are in."

Obviously, when you're a higher-ranked player and everyone expects you to win, when a higher-ranked player, a top-10 player, plays against someone ranked 80 or 90, you can't lose two or three games against them. When you win a set by 7-5, that's not normal. Of course, those players have even more pressure. They're a bit tighter. They don't play the same way as if they were facing another top-10 player. Those things count a lot in those moments. That's why sometimes it can happen because before, I would say that the top-10 players, when I started playing, the top-10 players, you could see the difference between the top 10 and the rest, like the top 50 players. Now you see the difference between the top one and two, Alcaraz and Sinner, compared to the top 50. But from the number 3 or 4 in the world, it's the same level. Like Taylor Fritz, who I believe is number 5 in the rankings. You don't know if he's better or Medvedev or Tsitsipas or Norrie or Tiafoe. Maybe Tiafoe is 15, 16 in the world. So, this shows that the level is super even," concludes a Rublev who is feeling the ball again, and that's a serious warning for his rivals, specifically for Alcaraz, who could be his next opponent.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Rublev avisa: "El nivel está ahí, le estoy pegando bien a la pelota"