Andrey Rublev withdraws from Marbella

Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev has withdrawn from the inaugural edition of an ATP 250 event in Marbella. 

The AnyTech365 Andalucia Open is set to have its inaugural edition next week and it will mark the beginning of the clay season. 

Rublev, ranked at No. 8 in the world, had been expected to highlight the inaugural Marbella edition.

However, his withdrawal should not come as a surprise since he has reached the Miami Masters semifinal. 

Traveling from the United States to Spain and switching surfaces from hard to clay would be extremely hard for Rublev. 

Rublev beat Sebastian Korda to make the Miami semifinal 

Rublev edged out Korda in two tight sets 7-5 7-6 (7). 

"If we talk about the second set, I also could win easier, but it happens, this is tennis," Rublev said. "Maybe next match I will lose second set and lose the third. I mean, today I managed to win and I'm happy. Sebastian is a really great player, he's really talented. He has big shots and he feels confident and he goes for them. Most of them he's making.

"So in the end, that's why he's great. He has a big serve, really great at the net, he's smart and he plays aggressive. He tries to take the lead and go for the shots. That's why he beat so many great players.

Rublev also spoke positively about Petr Korda. 

"I know really well his father because he was helping me a bit, especially when I was maybe 16," Rublev said. "When I was in Bradenton IMG he was helping me, giving me advice, hitting with me. I'm really grateful to him for this. I saw Sebastian even when he was even smaller, maybe 13. I don't know if he remembers.

"His father is really smart. He knows really well about tennis, he teach him really well. You can see that he has really great technique. He has really easy shots, easy movement."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3wmE9Hw