Andrey Rublev confirmed after his 2024 Madrid Open triumph that he’s unsure about playing at the Italian in Rome because he was still sick.
The Russian battled an illness for a few days leading up to the final and credited the doctors with miraculously getting him well enough to play. He outlasted Felix Auger-Aliassime in a tricky match that went the distance and concluded 7-5 in the final set.
After the match, Rublev made the stunning admission that he could barely play, and it only happened because of the doctors’ good care. He also admitted to being tired as he barely slept, but in the end, it was worth the trouble as he got the ATP Masters 1000 trophy.
After the match, though, Rublev admitted that he was still sick and that he would go to the hospital for a full checkup because he was unsure of the extent of his struggles. Obviously, that means that the Italian Open in Rome is very much doubtful for him.
“I’m still sick, in fact tomorrow I’ll go to the hospital to have complete check-ups. I don’t really know what’s happening, because I’ve been sick for eight or nine days, it’s not normal. I haven’t had any improvement, so it’s strange, the most I’ve had my previous bad state was two or three days.”
“It’s the first time I feel so bad in my life. I don’t really know what it is, my throat is completely blocked, it’s impossible to swallow, it’s impossible to eat and I have a headache because of it. Inside, I’m full of medicine.”
Rublev’s description of his physical struggles doesn’t sound very good, which is unfortunate as he just found his good tennis again. Continuing to build upon that would be ideal, but perhaps a break could be a blessing in disguise. He might arrive in Paris confident in his game and healthy, too, which would be ideal.
