Talk about playing through the pain! 🎾💪 Russian tennis star Andrey Rublev fought off more than just his opponent to clinch the Madrid Open title on Sunday. Facing Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime, Rublev overcame a first-set slip and battled for almost three hours to win 4-6, 7-5, 7-5.
But here's the kicker: Rublev did it all while sick and injured! 🤒😱 \"I'm still sick and tomorrow I think I'll go back to the hospital for a full check-up to know exactly what's going on,\" Rublev revealed. He's been under the weather for over a week, which is way longer than his usual two or three-day recovery.
As if that wasn't enough, he had to get an anesthetic in his foot due to inflammation. \"They put an anesthetic in the finger on my foot because somehow it got inflamed and started to get bigger,\" he explained. Ouch! 😖 But like a true champion, he powered through without letting the pain hold him back.
Rublev's journey to the title wasn't easy. He had lost his previous four matches before Madrid but turned things around big time. He took down second seed and home favorite Carlos Alcaraz and beat American Taylor Fritz to reach the final. Talk about a comeback! 🔥
\"I think it is normal to have ups and downs, but my focus now is to keep working and trying to improve,\" Rublev said. \"Now I think the most important thing is to try and recover and be ready for Rome.\"
We wish Rublev a speedy recovery and can't wait to see what he brings to the court next! 🙌🏆
Reference(s):
Tennis: Rublev to return to hospital after taking Madrid title
cgtn.com
