For the first time in his career, Andrey Rublev participated in the Ultimate Tennis Showdown, winning the event in Frankfurt.
The UTS was created by tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who had an idea about a fast-paced exhibition-style event featuring some of the best players in the world. The first few editions were held at his Academy, but since then, the event has expanded because it has become popular.
It's popular among fans and players alike, with several editions happening worldwide. We had one in Los Angeles earlier this year, and now we had one in Frankfurt, Germany. Andrey Rublev made it to the final in his first appearance at the event and won it.
The final four players were Diego Schwartzman, Grigor Dimitrov, Andrey Rublev, and Benoit Paire. Rublev bested Paire 3-0 in quarters, while Schwartzman lost to Dimitrov 2-3. The final between Rublev and Dimitrov featured a pretty good battle but ultimately saw Rublev win 3-1 in quarters.
It was a really narrow win for Rublev who was humble after the match admitting that he was pretty lucky to beat Dimitrov.
[I was] more lucky today. I was laughing more, but the frustration was still the same.
Rublev indeed enjoyed the format quite a bit, even though his signature competitiveness still came out. You won't see many players visibly frustrated by things not going their way during an exhibition, but Rublev simply couldn't help himself. He just wants to win so badly.
Things were pretty chill also during the match as the Russian once again demonstrated why he's one of the funniest players on the ATP Tour.
If I was a girl I am completely in love with Grigor. As a man, I am even in love with Grigor. We will finish with a romantic dinner today.
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