Rublev explains his defeat against Alcaraz: "I played better than at Wimbledon, it got away because of details"

Carlos Navarro | 16 Aug 2025 | 13.35

Andrey Rublev during his quarterfinal match against Alcaraz in Cincinnati. Source: Getty

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Andrey Rublev signed a very competitive match yesterday in the quarterfinals of the ATP Cincinnati 2025. When facing the number two player in the world on the other side of the net, a Carlos Alcaraz in good form and fairly consistent throughout the match, the demand is maximum and the margins, on the contrary, minimal: just one game can decide it all. This is how Carlos himself described it in the press conference, emphasizing that it was the small details that tipped the match in his favor... but what does his opponent think about all this?

The truth is that Andrey Rublev did not leave the American soil disappointed by any means. Not just due to his overall performance during the week, but also for the style of tennis we saw against Carlos Alcaraz. Competitive, matching the strength of the player from Murcia and taking the match to deep waters, it might be argued that his serve declined towards the end of the match, thus allowing Carlos to be more aggressive on return, apply more pressure, and eventually secure the win... but no one better than Andrey himself to define what makes the Spaniard so dangerous, why he is content with his performance, and what conclusions he draws from a week that could restore the necessary confidence to target the top-10.

"I think it has been a good week, a good tournament, overall. I have been at a very good level of play; the most important thing now is to keep working and improve the details. I believe that today I played better than at Wimbledon", Rublev stated confidently in words quoted by Championnat, recalling a match in the round of 16 where he took the first set after a sublime tiebreak and made us believe that an upset might be on the cards... but where he ran out of answers after Alcaraz stepped on the accelerator from the second set onwards.

"I GAVE CARLOS TOO MANY OPPORTUNITIES"

Andrey continued without reservations, reflecting on the specifics of a match where, despite his good feelings, he regrets "opening the door" too much to his opponent. "I need to keep improving, work on areas where I have more room, for example, to finish more points at the net with more confidence, to attack better some short balls and several other things. I feel that I am already playing much better, but I still falter in some crucial moments and miss out on some opportunities. Today, moreover, I gave opportunities to Carlos", stated the Muscovite, who also emphasized an aspect mentioned by Carlos himself, how the small details decided the match.

"At this level, only the small details are the ones that decide. When you allow yourself an extra thought in a decisive moment, that gives you a moment of slight doubt in your head... and it's over. That's what happened in the last game, and it came out of nowhere, with the double faults, the approaches to the net... at this level, those details are key", confessed a Rublev who had no doubts in planning his course and in being content with his progress in the past few months. "I already feel much better playing against the best, I play better, so the most important thing is to keep believing in myself, not get irritated, keep working and trusting, because that's the right path." Will he push his limits at the next US Open? Flushing Meadows will certainly be a good stage to test Rublev 2.0.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Rublev explica su derrota ante Alcaraz: "Jugué mejor que en Wimbledon, se escapó por detalles"