An open book. Andrey Rublev, the defending Mutua Madrid Open champion, speaks his mind in an interview in which he looks back at his dream title run in the Caja Magica last season and wonders how he can better it. He claimed his second ATP Masters 1000 crown while being ill for two weeks. One year on, he still calls it the trophy he is most proud of because of the circumstances surrounding it. 

What are your memories of your title in the Caja Magica in 2024? 

Well, in general, it was a really great performance, two really great weeks. I didn’t expect it and I was able to play really good tennis. 

You were unwell all week and you ended up winning the tournament. How did you manage that? 

I don’t know. I guess when I get sick, it kind of takes away all the expectations completely. It’s like, okay, again, another week is going to be not good. So, I felt maybe relief and then somehow the relief helped me perform well. When I was getting worse and worse during the tournament, then it’s more about just being okay, continuing to fight. And I was lucky that there were really good doctors in Madrid. Before every match they were giving me really big injections with painkillers. If not for the doctors there, for sure, there would have been no chance for me to perform. 

You said last year that it’s the title you’re most proud of. Is that still the case?  

Yes, it’s still the case, just because of the circumstances. I’d never been through something like that in my life. I’d never in my life felt that bad when I’ve been sick. That was the worst ever time. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t breathe and I was able to perform.  Yes, I was proud. Because it shows that in the end, it doesn’t matter how you feel, everything’s in your head.

Of all the matches you played in Madrid last year, which is your favourite?  

The quarter-final against Alcaraz and the final against Felix. 

In the quarter-finals, you beat Carlos Alcaraz, who had won 14 matches in a row at the tournament. Was that when you started to believe you could win the trophy? 

No, to be honest, I was just thinking that I had great results already, I was in the semi-final, and let’s see what happens next. I was happy with my performance. I was happy that I was able to beat a really great player. No, I was not thinking that because I was feeling really bad. 

Also, the semi-final was against Fritz, who had beaten me more times than I had beaten him. Or at least he had beaten me last or something, so I remember that it was going to be a tough match because Madrid is at altitude and he has a really good serve, so I knew winning the title was a long way off. 

The biggest titles of your career have been on clay. If you’d been told this before your career started, would you have been surprised? 

I don’t know, to be honest. I don’t know. But it’s true, Madrid and Monte Carlo are both on clay. But still, I had three other finals on hard, Shanghai, Cincinnati, Montreal. So, I mean, the good thing is that I can play on all surfaces.  

Why does the Caja Magica suit your game so well, and what do you like the most about Madrid?
I like the tournament, I like the centre court, I like the city, and I don’t know what suits me best because it was only one year that I had a good result there. All the other years I lost much earlier, so I guess it was just that year. 

How would you say the fans experience tennis in Spain? 

It was amazing. Like I said, the centre court, the atmosphere is really great, and the people love tennis there, and they follow you, they support you, and it really feels amazing. 

Does having lived in Spain for many years and having several Spaniards on your team influence your performance here? 

I don’t live in Spain, my team is from Spain, but I don’t live there. When your team is from Spain, of course, they know everyone there, and they kind of treat you as a local, because they know everyone, they know the places to go. They know the people from the tournament, and you feel welcome. Of course, when I’m with my team, I feel welcome there, and of course that makes you feel more special.  

But as a tournament, it’s like every tournament, if I play a home player, someone from Spain, of course, he has all the support, which is normal. So it’s not like I play and the whole stadium supports only me.  

You’re the only player that can boast of having won the singles and doubles tournaments at the Mutua Madrid Open. How was your experience with Karen? 

It was a great experience. I mean, first of all, we didn’t expect to win the title in doubles. And second, it was the first year when it was two weeks of the event, and we didn’t expect that either. Then when the tournament started, it was two weeks. We lost in singles earlier, and we had to stay there for doubles, and we were like, what are we doing here? Because we were playing one match, and maybe the next match was in two or three days. So we were having two days off, and it was basically like holidays. We didn’t understand what we were doing, to be honest. But we said, OK, if we are staying, we really need to win, otherwise, it makes no sense to stay here and then to lose the match. Somehow we performed really well and we were able to win. 

Only Nalbandian, Zverev and yourself have won the tournament without having been a No. 1 in the world. Is there a feeling on tour that Madrid is a very tough place to win?
I don’t know what to say, because in my case, every tournament that I won, I was not number one in the world. I don’t know the feeling of winning a title and being number one in the world, so I don’t know what to say. 

Alcaraz (2022-23) and Nadal (2013-14) are the only men to successfully defend their title in the Caja Magica, will Rublev be the third to do it? 

I have never defended my title two years in a row, so I guess the chance is very low. Normally, most of the tournaments that I win, next year I lose in the first round. 

You’ve already won a title this year. How are you feeling so far?
I feel good. I feel good, so we’ll see what happens next!