"I have such strong resentment towards myself" - Andrey Rublev says he lacks the 'psychological stability' of players like Djokovic & Alcaraz

Andrey Rublev believes that he lacks "psychological stability" during his matches, a quality that he believes has benefitted top players such as Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

Rublev put together a successful campaign in the 2023 season. He reached three Grand Slam quarter-finals – at the Australian Open, the Wimbledon Championships, and the US Open. The Russian also featured in six tournament finals and won two titles, including the Monte-Carlo Masters.

Despite that, Andrey Rublev believes he has scope for improvement in several aspects of his game ahead of the 2024 season.

“What needs to be improved? A ton of everything,” he said in an interview with Championat.

The World No. 5 opined that his major shortcoming is his on-court mindset. He pointed at the mental fortitude demonstrated by Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Jannik Sinner, the players currently ranked above him.

“The main thing, of course, is psychology. This is what I miss the most compared to Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. They are much more stable than me psychologically,’ he said.

“Even if I only improve my psychology and second serve, it will be a completely different tennis,” he added.

Andrey Rublev, known for his on-court outbursts, earned several plaudits for his mental growth during the first half of the season. The Russian staged quite a few miraculous escapes in important matches, which helped him climb up the rankings.

Perhaps most impressively, Rublev won two close matches against Holger Rune. He saved two match points in the fourth round of the Australian Open, and recovered from 1-4 down in the deciding set in the Monte-Carlo Masters final.

The 26-year-old also recovered from being multiple match points down against Tallon Griekspoor at the Qatar Open, against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina at the Dubai Tennis Championships, and against Bernabe Zapata Miralles at the Hamburg Open.

Rublev, however, failed to keep his emotions in check as the season progressed, which cost him dearly. He reached a breaking point during his ATP Finals clash against Carlos Alcaraz, where he repeatedly whacked his knee with his racquet, drawing blood in the process.

“I have such strong resentment towards myself that I no longer know what else to do to give myself a sign that it’s time to wake up. All this leads to this outburst of anger,” he explained.

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"In moments when there is more pressure, Novak Djokovic almost always plays better than you" – Andrey Rublev

Novak Djokovic and Andrey Rublev at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships

In the same interview, Andrey Rublev also dissected Novak Djokovic’s mental strength, which the Russian believes gives him the edge over his opponents.

Rublev faced the Serb thrice this year, losing each time. Two of their encounters came in the quarter-finals of Grand Slams - at the Australian Open and the Wimbledon Championships.

The match in Melbourne was a one-sided affair, with Djokovic winning 6-1, 6-2, 6-4. But Rublev challenged the World No. 1 during their SW19 clash before going down 6-4, 1-6, 4-6, 3-6.

“He serves very cool: to any point, to any place - very accurately. He moves incredibly, very quickly. Thirdly, concentration and psychology. It seems that you are playing on an equal footing with him, but at some point, his switch switches. He starts playing at your speed and not making mistakes,” Rublev said.

Andrey Rublev came close to winning his Paris Masters semi-final clash against Novak Djokovic, but the Serb eventually won 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-5.

“It often happens with him that when the ball is convenient, you can score, but Novak still guesses and somehow dribbles past me. These are details, but they are all about Djokovic. In moments when there is more pressure on both players, Novak almost always plays better than you,” he added.