"Phenomenally polite verbal knockout" - Tennis fans praise Andrey Rublev for his response to Stefanos Tsitsipas' sly dig about his game

Andrey Rublev responded to Stefanos Tsitsipas' claims that the Russian player beat him in the ATP Finals on Friday despite having "few tools" at his disposal. Rublev hit back by stating that he is better than Tsitsipas at some key aspects of the game, before also admitting that Tsitsipas is a better overall player than him.

Rublev dismissed the "few tools" claim in a stern yet respectful way, earning praise from tennis fans for his response. The World No. 7 expressed his belief that he has a better forehand, backhand, and serve than Tsitsipas, but admitted that Tsitsipas is more accomplished. He also highlighted that he and Tsitsipas have always had hard-fought battles, as evidenced by their competitive 6-5 head-to-head record in favor of the Greek player.

"I don't know if I have few tools or no," Andrey Rublev said in his post-match press conference on Friday. "If I go shot by shot, I think his backhand is not better than mine, his forehand is not better than mine, the speed serve is not better than mine. He's faster and he plays much better in it. But if we go shot by shot, I don't think that."

"Obviously he's the better player because he's higher ranked and he achieved better results, it's obvious, there is no doubt. But I don't think I beat him because of few tools. If you take our every match, we have tough battles," he added.

Rublev's comments drew reactions from the tennis community, with many lauding him for handling the matter in a 'classy' and 'graceful' manner.

"The rare phenomenally polite verbal knockout. Honestly, didn’t think Rublev had it in him. And I love it," a Reddit user expressed.

"Performance and humbleness gets you fans... Proudly Andrey has achieved both this season," another fan wrote.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans to Andrey Rublev's response:

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"I feel like the better player, I felt like I could do more with the ball today" - Stefanos Tsitsipas after his match against Andrey Rublev

Stefanos Tsitsipas at the Nitto ATP Finals - Day Six.

Stefanos Tsitsipas made his comments soon after his 6-3, 3-6, 2-6 loss to Andrey Rublev, as a result of which he was eliminated from the 2022 ATP Finals. Tsitsipas opined that he was the better player throughout the match and did not feel threatened by Rublev.

While Tsitsipas admitted that Rublev returned his serve quite well, he highlighted that the Russian player was able to win because he could make full use of the "few tools" he possesses in his game.

'I mean, he's a good returner. Nothing to take away from him," Stefanos Tsitsipas said in his post-match press conference. "He played a lot of returns in. I tried to mix it up at the end. I didn't really feel threatened."

"It's a shame. I feel like the better player. I felt like I could do more with the ball today. I felt like I could just be much more creative. I don't even have to say that. I think it's quite obvious. But, yeah, he prevailed with the few tools that he has. He was able to really take advantage of them and win today," the world no. 3 added.

Andrey Rublev will face Casper Ruud in his maiden semifinal at the season-ending championships, on Saturday. He has won four of his five tour-level matches against Ruud.