Despite being sick during the tournament, Andrey Rublev won in Madrid

Andrey Rublev did not expect to win the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid. He was so sick that every day he felt almost dead.

AFP/THOMAS COEX

Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev lifted the trophy after winning the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid at Manolo Santana Stadium, La Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain on Sunday evening, May 5th, 2024 local time.

MADRID, SUNDAY — No one expected that Andrey Rublev was sick while playing in the tournament tennis ATP Masters 1000 Madrid, April 24-May 5 2024, until he finally told that after winning. Rublev even felt like he was almost dying every day and went straight to the hospital the day after winning.

The Russian men's singles tennis player talked about his condition after beating Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the final at the Manolo Santana Stadium, La Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain, Sunday (5/5/2024) evening local time or Monday (6/5/2024) early morning Indonesian time. It was Rublev's second title from a Masters 1000 level tournament after winning the 2023 Monte Carlo Masters.

The women's singles title at the same place, at the WTA 1000 level, went to Iga Swiatek (Poland). In the final the day before, Swiatek avenged her defeat to Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) in the final a year earlier 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7)

Rublev arrived in Madrid after experiencing four consecutive defeats, namely in the third round of the Indian Wells Masters, then the second round of the Miami Masters, Monte Carlo Masters, and ATP 500 Barcelona. The suffering was then compounded by an illness that made it difficult for him to sleep.

Also read: Inspired by Nadal, Swiatek Wins WTA Madrid Final Drama

AFP/PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU

Russian tennis player, Andrey Rublev, returned the ball to Canadian tennis player, Felix Auger-Aliassime, during the final match of the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid at the Manolo Santana Stadium, La Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain on Sunday (5/5/2024) evening local time. Rublev won with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.

The sixth-ranked tennis player in the world said that he usually recovers in 2-3 days. However, while in Madrid, his illness did not go away despite already being nine days. With the possibility of being infected by a virus, Rublev experienced a fever. In the last 3-4 days before the final, he did not sleep.

In addition, his toe was swollen and getting bigger every day. The pain was felt to the bone, making it difficult for Rublev to wear shoes.

In order to compete against Auger-Aliassime in the final, his leg was injected with anesthesia. With the injection, Rublev felt numbness in his leg, but at least it allowed him to forget the pain and focus on the match.

"It feels similar to when my leg was broken. If only everyone knew what I went through to become a champion here. Every day, I feel like I'm almost dying. So, I can say that this championship title makes me very proud. Tomorrow, I will go to the hospital to find out what actually happened," he said.

His struggle to survive finally paid off. On the way to the final, he eliminated the Madrid Masters 2022 and 2023 champion, Carlos Alcaraz (Spain), in the quarter-finals, and then Taylor Fritz (United States) in the semi-finals.

Also read: Finding How to Stop Swiatek

Every day, I feel like I'm about to die. So, I can say that this is a championship title that makes me very proud.

AFP/THOMAS COEX

Canadian tennis player, Felix Auger-Aliassime, returned the ball to Russian tennis player, Andrey Rublev, in the final of the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid at the Manolo Santana Stadium, La Caja Magica, Madrid, Spain, on Sunday (5/5/2024) local time. Rublev won with a score of 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.

Meanwhile, Auger-Aliassime's first final at the Masters 1000 was achieved through a quite unique journey. He won a walkover in one match, namely when he was supposed to face Jannik Sinner (Italy) in the quarter-finals.

As for the other two rounds, the Canadian tennis player won after his opponent withdrew during the match due to injury. He achieved victory in such conditions when facing Casper Ruud (Norway) in the fourth round and Jiri Lehecka in the semifinal.

Another athlete who was injured during the tournament is the third seed, Daniil Medvedev (Russia). He withdrew before the second set when facing Lehecka (Czech) in the quarterfinals.

After Madrid, the world's top men's and women's tennis players will compete in another clay court tournament, the ATP Masters 1000/WTA 1000 Rome on May 7-19. Those two tournaments and others since April serve as a warm-up for the Grand Slam French Open, May 26-June 9, the pinnacle of competition on clay. (AP/AFP)