"I still want to be like Marat!" Relaxed Rublev routs Fucsovics again

If Andrey Rublev’s latest win against No. 29 seed Marton Fucsovics on Monday at the Miami Open wasn’t a strong enough indicator for how comfortable the 23-year-old is feeling right now, his visit to the Tennis Channel Desk made that obvious.

Following straight-set wins over Fucsovics in Rotterdam and Dubai, Rublev dispatched the Hungarian for a third time in less than a month with a 6-2, 6-1 victory. The fourth seed produced 21 winners—including 12 on the forehand wing alone—to just 11 unforced errors.

Amritraj compared the world No. 8 to a rocket ship, but the ever-grounded Rublev downplayed how easy he’s made things over the past several months.

“It’s tough to describe into words. It’s a long way. It’s easy to say some good things, but it’s tough to do,” Rublev said. “It doesn’t matter what I say. Looks may be smart or something. There’s no secrets. I think many players, a thousand guys say the same thing, accept the things you can accept and that’s it.”

Before Amritraj could move forward with his next question, a grinning Rublev continued with his explanation.

“And don’t stress if you cannot accept. You cannot change the things, so you don’t need to stress if you’re going to change them. So why complain? It looks so simple but it’s tough to do.”

Tennis Channel

After discussing the growth of tennis in Rublev's nation, Amritraj brought up Marat Safin’s comments about kids in Russia wishing to emulate the current generation.

“I don’t know, I will see. But I still want to be like Marat!”, laughed Rublev. “When I’m in Moscow, we see each other often. We spend good time together.

“And we stress the same way when something doesn’t go well.”

Amritraj rounded out the warm chat by mentioning fast-rising compatriot Aslan Karatsev, prompting the relaxed Rublev to interject his own perspective on the recent Dubai champion.

“He’s a zero-emotions guy. We don’t know what he’s thinking sometimes,” he said as Amritraj chuckled. “The face is the same, doesn’t matter if he wins or loses.”

As the host wrapped up, wishing to see Rublev again soon, the Muscovite fittingly closed out the segment with three simple words: “Time will show.”

With Rublev’s gifts on the court—and on camera—one has to think it'll be in no time.