Tired Rublev off to a great start

World No. 6 Andrey Rublev got off to the best possible start at the Australian Open with a commanding 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 win over Italy’s Gianluca Mager on Tuesday.

Rublev his 31 winners and made only 13 errors in the 84 minutes on court.

The young Russian was ruled out of the ATP Cup with a positive Covid test and said before the match he still felt tired.

“Of course I would have preferred to play ATP Cup, to feel already these emotions, the nerves during the match, to feel this winning feeling,” he said after the match.

“Of course it’s not easy when you’re not playing for a couple of weeks and you go straight into one of the best tournaments.

“You feel a bit double pressure because you don’t know how it’s going to be. But this is life, you cannot control it.”

Peter Rowe

Recent Posts

US Open 2026 Women’s Day 2

Aryna Sabalenka began her quest for a third straight title at the US Open as…

8 hours ago

US Open 2026 Men’s Day 2

Carlos Alcaraz ended a four-and-a-half month injury exile with a resounding 6-4, 6-4, 6-4  defeat…

9 hours ago

Venus loses late in 26th USO appearance

Williams has lost her last 15 matches as a wild card, with her last victory dating…

19 hours ago

US Open 2026 Men’s Day 1

Novak Djokovic hit the wall as the 24-time Grand Slam winner vomited at the back…

19 hours ago

US Open 2026 Women’s Day 1

Third seed Jessica Pegula got up and running on Sunday's opening day at the US…

1 day ago

Last-gasp pullout for injured Ruud

Former finalist Casper Ruud made a last-minute pull out on Sunday as the US Open began,…

1 day ago