Andrey Rublev exclusive: Anti-war message calling for peace was one of best things I did in 2022 tennis season

Andrey Rublev has said one of his most important acts of 2022 season was writing an anti-war message on a camera lens in Dubai.

The Russian wrote ‘No War Please’ on a camera after advancing to the final of the Dubai Tennis Championships in February.

He also wrote ‘Peace, Peace, Peace, All we need’ after winning a match at the Nitto ATP Finals in November, nine months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

After the ATP Finals, world No. 8 Rublev posted on Instagram: “Torino thank you so much for all your love and support during the week that I didn’t deserve. But what I felt this week with your kindness and support, shows me that I can be a better person and better player. It means more than a world to me. Thank you.”

“I don’t like to talk about myself and to say good things about myself, I can only judge myself,” he told Eurosport.

“That’s why last year especially with the situation happening in the world you feel that maybe you don’t deserve and when you feel support from people, especially in Turin, I have never felt something like that before. It was a really special moment.

“One of the best things I did this year was the message I left in Dubai. It was the most meaning that I could do during the year.

“In my case, I am super lucky. I cannot say anything or complain because I am able to play and travel. In my position I am super lucky but there are millions of people who suffer and it’s terrible.”

Rublev enjoyed another successful season on the ATP Tour, winning four titles and recording a 51-20 win-loss record.

But he is still yet to go beyond the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam and has not won a title above ATP 500 level.

In 2022 he made the quarter-finals of the French Open and US Open, and the semi-finals of Indian Wells and the ATP Finals.

Asked what his ambitions are for 2023, Rublev said: “The goal is simple: to improve. I still have a lot of room to improve game-wise, mentally, to analyse the year, analyse all the things I did wrong, all the matches that I behaved wrong, the matches where I was able to have a strong mentality, and to focus in that direction and try to do less wrong things during the season.”

Rublev is one of five top-10 players at the Diriyah Tennis Cup along with world No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas, world No. 7 Daniil Medvedev, world No. 9 Taylor Fritz and world No. 10 Hubert Hurkacz.

The exhibition event starts on December 8 and you can watch every day of the Diriyah Tennis Cup live on Eurosport and discovery+.

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