Carlos Alcaraz Describes Andrey Rublev as Unstoppable During Practice
Carlos Alcaraz, ranked world number three, recently praised his rival Andrey Rublev after a tough practice encounter. The 23-year-old Spaniard, who is on track to be remembered among tennis greats, said Rublev was almost impossible to counter during their session.
Despite suffering a wrist injury this year that forced him out of both the French Open and Wimbledon, Alcaraz has already secured seven Grand Slam titles: two US Opens, two Wimbledons, two French Opens, and one Australian Open. His season saw only one Grand Slam victory because of these setbacks.
Meanwhile, fellow player Jannik Sinner has also had an injury-plagued season but is expected back in December.
Alcaraz Advances at Vienna Open
Recently, Alcaraz started strong at the Vienna Open by defeating Karen Khachanov 6-4, 7-6 in the first round. He now waits to face the winner between Jurij Rodionov and Nikoloz Basilashvili in the next stage.
Practice Session Highlight
According to Tennis 365, Alcaraz described his practice match against Rublev where he lost 6-2 but felt he played well. He recalled how Rublev’s forehands and backhands were delivered with full power, making it nearly impossible to be aggressive in return.
“Sometimes it’s really hard to see things for what they are, you know. When I was practicing with Rublev, I lost 6-2, but I was playing well. He was unplayable. He hit every forehand full out and hit very powerful backhands,” Alcaraz said.“I couldn’t be aggressive at all, not even on one or two shots. That’s why I left the court a little unhappy, but at the same time telling myself: okay, I’m doing the right things.You know, sometimes in tennis you play against someone who tries not to let you play. But that day, I left the court thinking about what I had done well. I think I did a lot of good things, to be honest. I also learned a lot from these sessions.”
Alcaraz was initially not scheduled to compete at the Vienna Open but accepted a late wildcard after the Six Kings Slam was postponed until December. Having just lost to Rublev in practice, he might have felt some relief when Rublev exited the tournament early after a first-round defeat by American Tommy Paul.
Both players were placed in the same half of the draw and could have met in the quarter-finals. If Alcaraz reaches that stage, he will likely face Paul, who must first get past Italian Luciano Darderi in the round of 16.
