Depression, fear and the US Open quarterfinals. Will the Russian reach the semi-finals of the Grand Slam on his ninth attempt?

Mentality is an important part of athletic performance. In tennis, perhaps even more so than in other sports. Russian tennis player Andrei Rubljov knows this. Why does fear help him? Will he finally push his best at the majors?

Russia’s Rubljov is definitely one of the most interesting faces on the ATP tour. His opposition to the war in Ukraine is well known. His fight against depression is no secret either.

He has trouble managing his emotions during a match. But he is aware of his problems and tries to manage them with his team. He has lost only three sets at this year’s US Open so far and after his last win against the British Draper, he talked about his mental inner side.

Motivated by fear

Fears are normal, according to the 25-year-old tennis player. “When someone says they don’t have fear, they’re lying,” he told the US Open website. When he fears defeat, he speeds up his game and starts playing more actively.

So far, that motivation is working for the current world No. 8. Last year he enjoyed three tournament triumphs, this year he has already celebrated twice. Even at the Masters in Monte Carlo.

An impenetrable quarter-final

As far as Grand Slam tournaments are concerned, it has been a less successful history for the Moscow native. He has already reached the quarterfinals eight times. This year, at the stage of the last eight players in the tournament, he finished at the majors twice.

At both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, the Russian was knocked out at this stage of the Grand Slam by Novak Djokovic. At Flushing Meadows, he will try to break his unfavourable blanks against compatriot Medvedev.

Speaking of stats, even against his one year older partner, Rublyov doesn’t have a positive record. He has won only twice in eight matches between them. The upcoming quarter-final match will be a battle against two negative streaks at once for Rubljov.

Finally..

Anyone who has ever played tennis knows how important the psyche is. Rubljov deserves credit for the fact that he can talk about his problems with clarity.

He would certainly like to win awards at the Grand Slam itself. But making the quarter-finals is definitely a quality result and losing to Djokovic is far from disappointing.

Medvedev is also a top opponent, but if you want to play a major semifinal, you usually have to beat someone from the world’s top tier. For Rublyov, his compatriot is a more acceptable opponent than Djokovic, but he will definitely not be the favourite against him.

Source: US Open, ATP