Andrey Rublev recently shared his aspirations for the 2021 Miami Masters, where the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem will be absent. During the press conference after his Round of 16 win at the Dubai Open, Rublev remarked that he intends to practice as much as he can before the Masters 1000 tournament.
The Russian also added that he had virtually no points to defend at the 1000-level events in 2021, and in the absence of Novak Djokovic and other top players, he had a great window to accumulate a respectable tally of points at Miami.
"Of course. I want to be as much ready as I can for Miami, because as you said, there's gonna be no Rafael Nadal, no Novak Djokovic, Federer and Thiem. And in my case, all 1000s tournaments, I have no points there," Rublev said.
The Russian insisted that doing well at Miami was an opportunity too good to miss, and that he saw it as a 'great challenge' for himself.
"So I can win a lot of points by winning a couple of matches, if I go farther I can win a lot of points. So, really great challenge for me," Rublev added.
Andrey Rublev also spoke about the debilitating pressure he puts on himself to succeed at times. The World No. 8 insisted that he was not someone who was prepared to compromise and that he used fear to help him improve.
"Maybe it's this kind of fear, that it's not enough. The fear maybe I'm not gonna make it or fear that I'm not gonna be good enough for a while. In the end, the fear helps me to improve. So, that's why I want to improve and improve," Rublev said.
Six-time winner Novak Djokovic had initially hinted that he could opt out of Miami, as he faced an extended time on the sidelines due to his recent abdominal muscle tear.
The first player to officially withdraw from the Masters 1000 tournament was Roger Federer though, who made his much-awaited return in Doha. However, the Swiss maestro decided he was not ready to play at a high level yet, and subsequently announced his withdrawal from the event.
Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem soon followed suit, withdrawing from the hardcourt event to get ready in time for the clay season, where they will be joined by Novak Djokovic.