Andrey Rublev hopes gold medal will be big confidence boost

Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev acknowledged that winning gold medal with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the Tokyo Olympics was an amazing feeling. 

"To be honest [winning gold] is an amazing feeling,” Rublev told the ATP Tour. 

"Especially when you start to understand and realise how big it is, it’s an amazing feeling and it’s a big honour, I’m really thankful.”

Rublev is set to return to action at this week's Toronto Masters.

Rublev arrived to Toronto confident after winning gold medal.

"I want to think that I’m playing well. I want to think that after the Olympic Games I’m more confident.

“We’ll see, only time can show [that].”

Rublev achieved his childhood dream 

"The feeling was unreal," admitted Rublev shortly after winning gold medal. 

"[In that moment], you feel release of all your body that was coming since you were a kid. Since I was a kid I was watching Olympics on TV, watching the different athletes winning a medal, watching winter games, summer games. I was not even thinking about winning a medal. I was hoping that one day I was going to compete. "Now I’m here with a gold medal. After that shot, in one second all this time passing, all the tears, all the pain… it’s a release, you know. Another level."

Rublev and Pavlyuchenkova earned four wins en route to winning Tokyo and each of those four wins came in match tie-break. 

"He always says that we’re lucky. It kind of makes me angry," Pavlyuchenkova joked afterwards in reference to their success in match-tiebreak, per the ITF website. 

"Of course there was always a bit of luck. Everything has to come together in a puzzle, but I think when it comes to these match tiebreaks, especially in such tight matches, it’s also mental. I think we were fighting like crazy in every match."

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2VM7Cgw