Australian Open 2024: Andrey Rublev reveals pep talk that inspired comeback win - 'You will not die today'
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Published 21/01/2024 at 14:54 GMT
Andrey Rublev told himself he “was not going to die and do everything” to battle past an inspired Alex de Minaur. Rublev finally wrapped up a mammoth five-set match with a bagel in the decider after falling 2-1 behind to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals for the third time. “[I] said ‘Okay you’re not going to die today. You will do everything, you will find energy, you will do everything’.”
'You will not die today' - The inspirational thoughts that helped Rublev overcome De Minaur
Andrey Rublev needed to find something special to finally oust home favourite Alex De Minaur and reach the Australian Open quarter-finals.
The Russian dug deep and found that special something when he secured an emphatic bagel in the deciding set to wrap up a hard-fought comeback win 6-4 6-7(5) 6-7(4) 6-3 6-0 after falling 2-1 behind.
After the match, an exhausted Rublev told Eurosport’s Barbara Schett that he recognised mid-match he "was not going to die" and would "do everything" to get the better of his Australian counterpart.
“I can still talk, but I can’t move,” he told Schett. “I'm super happy that I'm able to win this match.
“Alex is having an amazing season, before this season we had tough matches, we respect each other a lot, now one more amazing match that we had and... now I want to rest!
“I was 3-0 up in the beginning [of the fourth set] and I started to feel sad about myself, ‘oh it’s too tough, it’s too hard’ and it becomes 3-2.
“And after that, I got really angry at myself and said ‘Okay you’re not going to die today. You will do everything, you will find energy, you will do everything’.
“Somehow, this gives me a lot of belief and push to myself and I start to find extra energy and turn it around.”
Both players gave everything in the match, according to Eurosport commentator Nick Kyrgios, who said the 6-0 scoreline in the fifth set didn’t reflect De Minaur’s efforts.
“What a match, I mean four hours and 20 minutes of high-intensity tennis, the level was insane,” said Kyrgios.
“I knew one of them was going to struggle physically in the fifth and it wasn’t Alex, but the start Rublev had in that fifth set was insane.
“The ball striking was incredible, the level just raised. Look it was a hell of an effort from both these guys, bitter sweet from Alex - 6-0 in the fifth doesn’t really reflect how much of a fighter he is because he didn’t just give up, he was fighting to the very end.
“But that was an insane match, not going to lie.”
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'You will not die today' - The inspirational thoughts that helped Rublev overcome De Minaur
Rublev will take on the in-form Jannik Sinner in the last eight, where he will aim to end his barren run of defeats in quarter-final matches.
The Russian has lost all of his nine Grand Slam last eight matches, as he looks to reach a semi-final for the first time in his career.
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