Andrey Rublev takes solace in overcoming his behavioral issues and staying calm during shock Montpellier SF defeat

Andrey Rublev’s journey at the 2025 Open Occitanie in Montpellier ended just short of the final, but for the Russian, the real victory lay in his evolving mindset. After a string of disappointing results to start the season, Rublev emphasized his mental progress over the outcome, revealing a newfound ability to remain composed in high-pressure moments.

Following his disappointing early exits at the Hong Kong Open and the Australian Open, the 27-year-old registered his first singles victory of the 2025 tennis season in the Open Occitanie second round, defeating Christopher Eubanks, 6-4, 6-3.

The top-seeded wildcard then received a walkover victory over Nikoloz Basilashvili, advancing to the semifinals, where he lost 5-7, 4-6 to the American qualifier Aleksandar Kovacevic.

In the aftermath of his semifinal loss, Rublev chose to focus on the silver lining. In his post-match press conference, the Russian tennis star provided insight into his evolving mindset, emphasizing composure and mental resilience over frustration, given his history with controversial on-court outbursts.

"Every time you win, it's never easy, but that's how it is. The most important thing is that I managed to stay calm. I fought until the end. Now, I can talk more about my match than about my behavior, and that's good. We'll see, but little by little I'm starting to get my feelings back," Andrey Rublev said (quoted via midilibre.fr).

Thr Russian also admitted that his performance was not at the top-10 level but expressed satisfaction with the progress in his mental game, considering it a crucial aspect for long-term success.

"Of course, today was a good match, but my level is far from that of a top 10 player. And that's how it is. He played a good match, he deserved to win, he played in a much more free way than me," he added.

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Andrey Rublev will take on Zhang Zhizhen in the first round in Rotterdam

Andrey Rublev during the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals (Source: Getty)

Andrey Rublev is set to compete in the ABN AMRO Open for the seventh time, with the tournament taking place in Rotterdam, Netherlands, from February 3-9. As the fourth seed, he will face China's Zhang Zhizhen in the opening round on February 3.

This matchup marks Rublev and Zhang's fourth meeting on the ATP Tour, with the former holding a dominant 3-0 lead in their head-to-head record. Their most recent encounter was in the second round of the 2024 Cincinnati Masters, where the Russian secured a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

Whoever prevails in this clash will advance to the second round to take on either Jan-Lennard Struff or Fabian Marozsan.