Andrey Rublev reveals why he skipped the Paris Olympics

2024 was to be the year of the definitive quality leap for Andrey Rublev. The Russian player – who has been in the top 10 for years – hoped to make another step towards winning the Grand Slam tournaments.

Despite being a great player, Andrey is certainly inferior to young talents like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Russian doesn’t have the same mental strength as Spanish and Italian, a clear flaw that has emerged several times in recent years preventing him from going past the quarterfinals in Grand Slam tournaments.

Andrey Rublev© Francois Nel / Staff Getty Images

Rublev’s season seemed to turn in spring, when he won the Masters 1000 in Madrid (the second of his career after Montecarlo 2023) beating Carlos Alcaraz on the way. From that moment on, the 2024 of the Russian turned into a real nightmare. Andrey has suffered many surprising defeats and his anger shots have become more frequent during matches. The current world number 8 is struggling to manage his nerves and recent results have not helped him to be more serene on the court.

The 26-year-old from Moscow was defeated by Matteo Arnaldi at the French Open, by Giron in the first round of the ATP 500 in Halle and in the first round at the Wimbledon Championships by the Argentine Comesana, a defeat that certified his serious crisis. Rublev’s results did not improve in the summer, as he was beaten by Tirante at Bastad, Francisco Cerundolo at Umag and Frances Tiafoe in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Washington last week.

Rublev missed the Paris Olympics

Andrey Rublev has also decided not to take part in the Paris Olympics, unlike his compatriot Daniil Medvedev. During a recent interview with the ATP website, Rublev explained his choice not to play in Paris: “It was a complicated decision because I wanted to do the Paris Olympics, I had planned it and I was really looking forward to being there. But if we talk about my ATP career, it was the right decision, because I still need to find my game, to improve my mentality. The reality may be hard, but I must admit that for the Olympic Games, I was not mentally ready. Just look at my results in Roland Garros and Wimbledon. I can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results.”

Andrey Rublev© Francois Nel / Staff Getty Images

The Russian will try to get better results on the American hard court, hoping to be 100% for the start of the US Open (which will be played in New York at the end of August). The defeat at the Wimbledon Championships – a tournament he was very attached to – has exacerbated Andrey’s crisis.

“There is not much I can say in terms of having many opportunities, many opportunities, but I was not able to. My opponent was playing very well, with a 10-point mentality, so that is why he deserves to win (…) That is all,” Rublev stated. “It’s the main thing I need to improve, of course. Even though I didn’t perform as badly today as I did in Paris, I know I could have done a lot better. This is not the way, I know that, so the priority right now is to be able to stay positive throughout the match.

I need to win some matches, get a bit of rhythm, but it’s not easy. Since I lost in Paris, I’ve barely played in these weeks, just one match in Halle. When that rhythm is broken it’s never easy, you need a couple of wins to get your confidence back, I guess that’s what I need now,” he continued.

Andrey is struggling

Although Russian is working hard, his results continue to be very disappointing. The feeling is that if results do not improve in the coming weeks, Rublev may decide to change some members of his team. The Russian is aware that he needs to improve his mental strength in order to grow further: “Of course, I make mistakes. There are ugly emotional outbursts…because the desire overwhelms me. You get hooked on it: ‘I want, I want, I want, I need, I need,’ and you can’t hear or see anything. The reality doesn’t match the desire and you start to panic.

Andrey Rublev, Roland Garros 2024© Clive Brunskill / Staff – Getty Images Sport

There are always problems, and if you don’t know how to resolve them—whether that involves parents, friends, or improving relations in your private life—when it starts to stress you out, it shows on court. Everything is connected, and a psychologist can help you get through moments like that, to understand how better to accept yourself, work on your own traits and improve your relationships…you start to grow.”