"I totally relate to that" - John McEnroe on Andrey Rublev's emotional side after Russian sails into 2024 Australian Open quarterfinals

John McEnroe has stated that he can fully relate to Andrey Rublev and his emotional side after the Russian made it to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Australian Open.

Rublev began the 2024 season on a strong note, clinching the Hong Kong Open title. His form carried over to the Melbourne Major, where he beat Thiago Seyboth Wild, Christopher Eubanks, and Sebastian Korda to reach the fourth round.

In his fourth-round match on Sunday, January 22, Rublev took on Alex de Minaur and a partisan home crowd and won the match in five sets to seal his spot in the quarterfinals.

After trailing the Australian two sets to one, he won the fourth set and produced a bagel in the decider to seal the contest 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-0 in four hours and 15 minutes. Later, McEnroe hailed Rublev, calling it one of the best matches he has witnessed in his life.

The former World No. 1 also said that the 26-year-old's temperamental side strongly resonated with him. During his playing days, McEnroe was well known for his outspoken personality, with his matches usually dotted with angry outbursts.

"That was one of the all-time efforts, he dug deeper than I’ve ever seen. He wears his emotions on his sleeve, the fuse is lit and he’s going to go nuts and I can totally relate to that, I know what he’s feeling," he told Eurosport.

"I was actually really impressed with the third set that he kept his cool and that he was able to bounce back and get that lead in the fourth. And then he let it all hang out in the fifth. Considering the situation I thought both guys played really well. And Rublev is going to remember that fifth set for a really long time," McEnroe added.

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"A very tall order" - John McEnroe unsure of Andrey Rublev's semifinal chances at the 2024 Australian Open

Andrey Rublev in action at the 2024 Australian Open.

The defeat of Alex de Minaur was Andrey Rublev's 300th match win on the ATP tour. It also extended his perfect start to the season to 8-0. He will next face Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Australian Open.

While John McEnroe was all praise for Rublev's performance against de Minaur, he believes that it will be very difficult for the Russian to reach the semifinals in Melbourne this year.

"Unfortunately, he’s got to play one of the hottest guys on the tour right now, so it’s a very tall order right now to ask Rublev to get to his first Slam semi. But what an effort [against de Minaur], I’ve known him since he was a kid - he’s always brought it, always had a lot of energy, he’s very well-liked in the locker room, a lot of respect from the other players," he expressed.

Sinner leads Rublev 4-2 in the head-to-head, with the former winning their last two meetings. They faced each other only once at Grand Slams so far, where Rublev won after the Italian retired due to an injury in the third set.