Latest news with #MaratSafin
News.com.au
06-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Alcaraz seeks top gear at Wimbledon as Sabalenka stays calm
Carlos Alcaraz faces a tricky test on Sunday against volatile Russian Andrey Rublev in his charge towards a third consecutive Wimbledon title, while Aryna Sabalenka looks unstoppable as she prepares to take on Elise Mertens. Russia's Karen Khachanov was the first winner of the day, brushing aside Polish player Kamil Majchrzak 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 on Court Two to reach the quarter-finals. He will face US fifth seed Taylor Fritz, who was only on court for 41 minutes before Australia's Jordan Thompson retired injured, trailing 6-1, 3-0. Defending men's champion Alcaraz, 22, due on Centre Court later, has not hit top gear at this year's championships, dropping three sets in his three matches so far. In contrast, his two main rivals -- top seed Jannik Sinner and seven-time champion Novak Djokovic -- have glided through the draw to reach the fourth round, looking ominously good. But Rublev, who has never been beyond the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam, knows he will have to be at the top of his game to stand a chance against the world number two, who has won 32 of his 35 grass-court matches. "You cannot show any weaknesses," said Rublev on the challenge of facing Alcaraz, who beat Sinner in last month's French Open final. Rublev, the 14th seed, has already enjoyed a much happier time at Wimbledon than 12 months ago when he repeatedly smashed his racquet over his own leg during a shock first-round exit. He has credited the influence of two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin, himself a notorious hothead in his prime, for bringing some calm to his game. "There are two options," he said. "Try to go deeper. Or, if I lose, to lose it in a mature, adult way. "That would be success as well, to lose it in the right way." - Sabalenka power - Sabalenka, 27, is the only woman left standing out of the top six seeds, and is keen to make up for lost time at the All England Club as she prepares for a match against Belgian 24th seed Elise Mertens. The three-time Grand Slam champion missed last year's Wimbledon due to a shoulder injury and was excluded in 2022 as part of a blanket ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes. Sabalenka overcame a stern test of her tennis and temperament to end British favourite Emma Raducanu's run in the third round in arguably the match of the tournament so far. After losing control of her emotions in defeat to Coco Gauff in the French Open final, the Belarusian, who has never been beyond the semi-finals at Wimbledon, said she feels like a "different person". "Whatever happens on the court, you just have to be respectful, you have to be calm, and you just have to keep trying and keep fighting," she said. "I was just reminding myself that I'm strong enough, and I can handle this pressure." The odds are stacked against Mertens as she prepares to battle the power game of the world number one. Sabalenka has defeated no player on the tour more often -- a total of 10 times in 12 meetings. Britain's Sonay Kartal went down 7-6 (7/3), 6-4 against Russia's Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, leaving Cameron Norrie as the only British player left in the tournament. Pavlyuchenkova, 34, a former French Open runner-up, broke her opponent five times in the match and struck 36 winners against 47 unforced errors to reach the last eight at SW19 for the second time. America's Fritz faced gruelling five-set battles in his opening two matches at the All England Club but it was a different story in his fourth-round encounter on Court One. The Eastbourne champion broke Thompson twice to seal the first set in just 21 minutes and led 3-0 in the second set when the Australian decided he could not go on, due to an apparent thigh injury. Former semi-finalist Norrie is in action against Chilean qualifier Nicolas Jarry.
BBC News
04-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Win or 'lose in a mature adult way'
For world number 14 Andrey Rublev, success at Wimbledon looks like being one of two - or "lose it in a mature, adult way".Mature is perhaps not always the word that has been associated with Rublev. Prone to outbursts and temper tantrums, the eccentric character has often found himself in the headlines for his volatile behaviour rather than his on-court the 27-year-old has been working on controlling his two-time major champion Marat Safin, no stranger to an on-court outburst himself, on board has helped Rublev address those built-up resilience will be put to the test on Sunday with the toughest of challenges ahead in round four - defending champion Carlos Alcaraz. Rublev has never gone beyond a quarter-final of a Grand Slam, losing 10 times at this in the context of his mental battles, this time last year at the All England Club marked a particular low point. He went out in the first round and made headlines for repeatedly smashing his racquet into his leg in was just one incident of many like year he was disqualified from the Dubai Tennis Championships for screaming in the face of a line judge following a disputed call in the semi-final against Alexander Bublik, losing all his prize money and ranking points for the decision was later overturned with points and money reinstated, but the persistent outbursts sparked concern among peers and the Paris Masters he drew blood again from smashing his racquet into his has cited last year's SW19 moment when he knew things needed to change and has since opened up about his mental health struggles."I would say it was not dealing with the issue of losing or not losing, it was not the issue even of tennis," he revealed."I was just dealing with myself, just to face myself, to stop running away from myself and I was just dealing with that. What's happening inside of me, why I feel this, why I feel that, why I am doing this?"Away from the court, Rublev is a popular character on the Tour. He has frequently expressed his opposition to the war in Ukraine, while he also set up a clothing brand, which he wears for his matches, where all profits are used to help children with critical being kinder to himself has been an issue and working more frequently with a psychologist, combined with the addition of Safin to his coaching set-up, proved crucial."Marat is a huge help to me. He has given some advice and said some things, but he does it not in a soft way," explained Rublev."He's super strict - he gives you the heavy truth."Safin, a former world number one and winner of the US Open and Australian Open, was notorious for his temper, estimating he smashed 700 racquets in his level of passion, and sheer yearning to succeed, which the two share is never going to be stamped out all while Rublev has yet to win a Tour title this season, he showed improved control over his emotions at the Doha Open by winning three consecutive three-set matches, despite dropping the second set in all three and winning dramatic final-set tie-breaks in two of them."I know that everything is connected. If you feel some problems with yourself, it will affect everything," he added."Sooner or later you will have problems with your family, with relationships, with work, everywhere. When you have peace with yourself, then the rest takes cares of itself."But Rublev has learned to understand it doesn't have to all be about winning. For now at least, that is enough."There are two options," he said. "Try to go deeper. Or if I lose, to lose it in a mature, adult way. "That would be success as well, to lose it in the right way."
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hilarious Moment Unfolds as Andrey Rublev Runs Out of the Court During His Loss At Rome Open
A bizarre moment unfolded on the super tennis arena at the rome open during the match between Andrey Rublev and Fabian Maozsan, at the end of the second set. Clay courts are often watered and curated during sit-downs or when the set ends. For Rublev, who had just bagged the second set this seemed like a perfect opportunity to take a leak. In the video below we can see Rublev asking the umpire that he needs to go to the bathroom, the umpire is unsure and says that there might be a small window because the courts are being watered, but he also informed him that he will not be able to give him any extra time. What transpired next was Rublev sprinting out of the court with the chair umpire saying 'Go Go Go!' in a hilarious moment. Rublev looked frustrated during the entirety of the match, yelling at his box and throwing his racquet around on the dirt. Rublev, has not had a pleasant 2025 with a 11-10 win-loss record in the year. After hiring Russian icon Marat Safin to his coaching team, he would have expected his situation to have gotten better, but half-way into the season and Rublev looks nowhere near his best. After winning the second set, Rublev yet again went a break down in the third. He tried to fight back in his final game, conjuring up multiple break points, but it was a little to late for him. He lost the match 5-7, 6-4, 3-6. Rublev will look to get back to the drawing room and look to reset as he heads into French Open.
