C. ALCARAZ/A. Rublev
6-3, 7-6
THE MODERATOR: Tough luck again, Andrey. How would you assess your performance today?
ANDREY RUBLEV: I think was great match. I mean, I dropped a bit in the end of the first set, but the rest, especially the second set, I think the level was really high.
THE MODERATOR: First question for Andrey.
Q. Would you say he's getting tougher to play or easier? How would you say the evolution is of him? What's your experience? What makes him so tough now?
ANDREY RUBLEV: Out of all the matches we play each other, he played the best level today, even if we take our match last year here, our match in Madrid. He played the best level today.
Even the serve. Normally he goes a lot mixing with a lot of spin or something like that. Today he was going full serve flat and he was making high percent of the first serve.
Q. Now your only chance to go ahead, to go forward, is that Zverev wins tonight in two sets. Do you follow these things or it's too complicated?
ANDREY RUBLEV: I would follow if I would win today. I mean, obviously I will watch the match because it's best players. It's interesting to watch in general these kind of matches. Even yesterday I watched Sinner and Fritz. They're in different group. It's just interesting to watch the best players now at this event.
I mean, we'll see. Now like in terms of results, I don't think I will follow. In terms of just to see the match, yes.
Q. That was the third time against Carlos. Do you think back to previous matches that you've played against him, or any other player for that matter, when you're going in to play them again? Is what's happened in the past; it's going to be different and you don't look at it?
ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, of course is more you play with each other is more you know each other. But, yeah, whatever happen in the past is in the past. You try to prepare for what's going to come. You try to, yeah...
Today, I don't know, he played really good. Nothing to say. When he's playing like this, there is only, I don't know, one, two players who can stop him, yeah (smiling).
Q. How frustrating was his dropshot today? Was that even better than usual from him?
ANDREY RUBLEV: The dropshots, no. I would say as usual. Normally he make more than he miss. Today he make more than he miss. I think he miss only one when he was 40-Love up. All the rest he won. Normally is like this.
Even when we play each other in Madrid, I don't know, he maybe miss one or two, but the rest he make all of them.
Q. It's been a full season that you've been wearing your own clothing line Rublo. Do you plan to wear it again next season? Do you have any plans for the next season?
ANDREY RUBLEV: Yeah, I mean, now is with the K-Swiss. Next year will be with the K-Swiss, so... Now I'm ambassador of K-Swiss (smiling).
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports