MELBOURNE, Australia | Andrey Rublev’s ball hit the top of the net. She could have fallen on her side of the field, but fate would have her collapse in Dane’s Holger Rune’s section, completely out of reach of the ninth favourite.
• Also read: Djokovic painless and dangerous
• Also read: Colorful first week
• Also read: Félix Auger-Aliassime is over in Melbourne
And Rublev made it into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. At the end of a 3:37 marathon – another in those two weeks – the fifth seed won 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6 and 7-6 (9 ). his next opponent, Serbian Novak Djokovic, enters the scene.
“That has never happened to me. “I’ve never been so lucky in my life,” Rublev launched at a press conference, still in disbelief. I can go to the casino now. If I bet, I’m sure to win.
Rublev seemed cooked
Seeing the ball fall ‘to the right’, the 25-year-old Russian first waved an apology to Rune, as players traditionally do in such circumstances. Then he fell to the ground.
Because three times during this final round we thought Rublev was cooked. Rune, who is only 19, led 5-2 at times. It was used for the meeting. The Dane had two match points when the Russian served when the score was 6:5.
He then took a 5-0 lead in the tiebreak, which in Australia is won by the first player to reach 10 points.
He didn’t believe it either.
Rublev didn’t believe in his chance of a comeback either. But he began to make life difficult for Rune, the very man who ended Félix Auger-Aliassime’s 16-game winning streak in the autumn, with longer rallies.
And the young sensation, infallible from the start of the tournament, ended up collapsing first.
“I couldn’t believe it when it was 5-2,” admitted Rublev. But I started playing more relaxed. I was more focused, better.”
“Then even at 6-5, even though I had two match points against me, I started to think I was going to make it to the tiebreak. And at the tie-break, when I fell behind, I thought it was already over. I just said to myself: “Don’t do it like Roland-Garros [face à Marin Cilic]do not give up.””
Never go further than the quarters
Against Djokovic – probably in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday east coast time – the Russian is in his seventh appearance in the quarterfinals of a major tournament. He never got past this stage of the tournament.
Now that he’s been credited with luck, does he think he can win against the fourth favorite, the stubborn Montag against Australia’s Alex de Minaur, 22nd pick of the tournament?
Rublev has won a game against the Serb three times. It was in the final in Belgrade, on clay.
The Russian isn’t known for being very self-confident. And he stayed true to himself at the press conference.
“I don’t know. What I do know is that Novak is a very difficult player to beat, especially in Grand Slams. He has the experience of winning matches like that. He’s one of the best in history.”
“My only chance is when I’m playing my best tennis, I’m fighting for every ball. It’s my only chance.”
That and maybe a little nudge of fate…
Live from Melbourne Park
All Canadians who competed in singles at the Australian Open packed their bags on Monday. Too bad, as Melbourne is finally feeling summer air again after a few cooler and gray days over the past week. The terraces of the many restaurants are crowded, as are the stands of the largest stadiums in Melbourne Park. The city celebrated Chinese New Year this weekend and it was difficult to walk through some streets of the district, which is in the business district, as so many people attended the celebrations.
In Australia, you don’t smile with the sun
Speaking of summer and sunshine, two out of three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer before the age of 70. In fact, the country has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, according to the Cancer Council Act. A grim statistic that has to do with the climate and the country’s proximity to the equator, but also with the fact that Australians are mostly fair-skinned. For this reason, the sunscreens sold there are heavily regulated. It is possible to buy some with a protection factor of 30, but they are extremely rare. The vast majority of sunscreens on the shelves (actually all but one on the opposite display) have an SPF of 50+.
Australians love to drink… but they pay dearly
Australia is the “drunkest” country on earth according to a study published in 2020. Australians would get intoxicated an average of 27 times a year, almost double the world standard, which is 15. So it’s no wonder that we’ve heard some players complain about drunk crowds in the stands since the start of the fortnight… And they pay dearly for their alcohol for it. When Melbourne Park prices are similar and even lower than North American stadiums, at the restaurant and at the grocery store, the bill is salty. It’s hard to find a bottle of wine under $20 or a bottle of vodka under $60. This is mainly because alcohol is heavily taxed in the country.
No reason to get tired in Melbourne
Asked on the pitch about his habits in Melbourne after his third round win, Félix Auger-Aliassime said he likes to drink coffee there. Obviously, the Quebecer isn’t the only one. Independent cafes abound in Melbourne, where chains like Starbucks are struggling to establish themselves (in fact, the few Starbucks you encounter are often empty). Australia’s second most populous city fell in love with coffee in the mid-1950s during the wave of European immigration. Melbourne has one café for every 2,000 residents. It’s not a record, but several baristas have international fame.