Rublev overcomes illness to claim Madrid Open title
- Rublev’s triumphant victory at the Madrid Open unfolds as he conquers illness to claim the title, showcasing resilience and determination in a remarkable tennis spectacle.
Andrey Rublev won his first Madrid Open title after overcoming sickness and dropping the opening set against Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.
The eighth-ranked player in the world, Russian, had a temperature going into Sunday’s final and appeared ill when he fell behind 4-1 in the first set.
However, Rublev battled his way back into the match, winning both sets with strikes to overcome the world no. 35 and claim his second Masters 1,000 title.
“I am speechless,” Rublev remarked. You wouldn’t think that I could win a title if you knew what I had gone through over the previous nine days.
“I’m really joyful. I must give the doctors all the credit they deserve. At least I could play while they did some really daring stuff.
“I think my career’s most proud title is this one. I felt like I was dying every day. I was up all night, not sleeping. I have not slept for the past three or four days.”
Before travelling to the capital of Spain, the 26-year-old had lost four straight matches, but his performance will have given him confidence ahead of the French Open, which begins in three weeks.
The 23-year-old Auger-Aliassime had profited from the early retirement of Jiri Lehecka, his opponent in the semi-final, and the withdrawal of world No. 2 Jannik Sinner due to a hip injury prior to their quarter-final.
In the third set, where Rublev was the superior player, the Canadian had to work hard to save break points, but was ultimately undone on match point by a double fault.
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