The fifth-ranked player in the world shared an intriguing perspective on the celebrities he would like to see participate in a hypothetical tennis all-star weekend. Among the names he mentioned were Brad Pitt, Roger Federer, Bjorn Borg, and Andrey Rublev.
Currently, Rublev is off to an exceptional start this season, boasting a 10-2 record and already securing a Tour title in Hong Kong. He also reached the quarter-finals in another tournament. Unfortunately, his luck ran out once again in the quarter-finals, marking his tenth Grand Slam quarter-final loss. He was defeated in straight sets by the eventual winner.
After taking a well-deserved break of nearly three weeks, Rublev returned to action at the ATP-500 event in Rotterdam. There, he defeated several opponents but faced defeat in the quarter-finals against an Australian player who went on to reach the finals but lost to Sinner. Despite the loss, Rublev climbed two spots in the rankings, becoming the new ninth-ranked player in the world.
As the fever of the recent weekend event swept through the tennis world, Rublev, a 15-time title winner, shared his dream line-up for an all-star weekend in tennis. This was in anticipation of his upcoming appearance in Doha for the Qatar Open.
Rublev, as the top-seed in the tournament, received a first-round bye. The ATP-250 event was also expected to feature other notable players, including Nadal and Nole. However, Nadal officially withdrew, and Nole dismissed any rumors of his participation by skipping all events in February. Following the second day of the tournament, Rublev learned who his opponent would be in the second round.
In the next round, Rublev will face a former seventh-ranked player in the world, a French veteran. The 37-year-old defeated his first-round opponent with a convincing 6-4, 6-4 victory, displaying his trademark backhand winner that proved too challenging for his younger opponent. This will be the second meeting between Rublev and his upcoming opponent, as they were supposed to play in the second round in Doha in 2021 but did not due to a walkover. Their only encounter thus far occurred in 2022 at the Open 13 in Marseille, where Rublev emerged victorious after coming from a set down to win in a tiebreaker.
While Rublev is in better form, Gasquet’s experience could potentially make the match interesting if he manages to take an early lead and frustrate the Russian player.
According to the Source firstsportz.com