Andrey Rublev hits back at Stefanos Tsitsipas after Greek player's dig, analyses their game shot by shot to prove his case

Andrey Rublev defeated second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 on Friday and advanced to the semifinals of the ATP Finals for the first time in his career.

While the Greek player dominated the opening set, the Russian came back strong, cutting down on his errors to take the second set and force a decider, where Tsitsipas was unable to withstand the pressure. Rublev won the third set to complete his come-from-behind victory in Turin.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Tsitsipas cited Rublev's "few tools" as key to his win.

“It’s a shame. I feel like the better player," Tsitsipas said, adding, “But, yeah, he [Andrey Rublev] prevailed with the few tools that he has. He was able to really take advantage of them and win today."

Rublev, however, disagreed with Tsitsipas' statement in his post-match presser. In a shot-by-shot comparison, he claimed that Tsitsipas cannot match his forehand, backhand, or serve speed.

“I mean, I don't know if I have few tools or not. If we go shot by shot, I think his backhand isn’t better than mine. His forehand is not better than mine. The speed serve is not better than mine,” said Rublev.

“He's faster. He play much better than it. If we go for best shot, I don't think... Obviously he's better player because he's higher ranked and he achieved better results. It's obvious. There is no doubt,” he added.

The 25-year-old further stated that their clashes have always been competitive and needed three sets to finish, besides one match where Tsitsipas was the clear favorite.

“But I don't think that I beat him because of few tools. If you take our match, every match, we have tough battles. This year I lost to him twice in three sets, and now I beat him in three sets,” Rublev explained.

“We always have some tough matches. Only one final in Monte-Carlo that he played really well and he destroy me quite easy, but the rest was always tough matches,” he added.

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Andrey Rublev will play Casper Ruud in semifinals of 2022 ATP Finals

Andrey Rublev pictured during Nitto ATP Finals 2022

Andrey Rublev will square off against World No. 4 Casper Ruud in the semifinals of the ATP Finals in Turin.

Ruud, who made his tournament debut in 2021, has advanced to the ATP Finals semifinals for the second time in a row. Rublev, on the other hand, has failed to get past the group stage in his first two appearances in the event.

While Rublev leads Ruud 4-1 in the head-to-head, the Norwegian triumphed in their last meeting, which came in the round-robin stage of the tournament last year.

Speaking at his post-match press conference, Rublev said that he was looking forward to the semifinal clash with Ruud and hoped to give his best.

"I am really looking forward [to the match] because Casper is such a nice person on and off the court. He is a great player, great fighter. He has achieved so many good things this season, so it is going to be a really good challenge for me. I hope I will do my best and I will see what happens," said Andrey Rublev.