ROLAND GARROS

May 27, 2026

Andrey Rublev

Press Conference

A. RUBLEV/C. Ugo Carabelli

6-1, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Andrey, well done. You said earlier it's hard to play good tennis under these conditions today. What was the key today to win this match?

ANDREY RUBLEV: The key. The key was just to try to play aggressive and to be focused, because as soon as I was slowing down, he start to play much better, and he start to take advantage. He was moving well and taking the forehand with the spin. With these conditions, it was tough to do something as soon as he was taking forehand, so the key was to do it faster than him.

The moments when I was able to, okay, I'm going to go for the shots, I'm going to play aggressive, in the end I was much better than before. I start to have much more opportunities than him. That's it. So as soon as I was more loose and more free and I was going for shots straightaway, everything started to go my way.

THE MODERATOR: Questions in English.

Q. How tough was this match mentally and physically, especially as it got in the later stages of this match?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, of course it was tough match, because Camilo is playing better and better. He win some good matches, and he fight some last year, last season, some matches against good players, he did a good fight.

That's it. I knew that if I want to win, I will need to be the one who will dictate. But of course sometimes during the match when you feel tight and things like that, it's not easy. The moments like when I was a bit relaxing or I was tight and I was not hitting enough, he was straightaway taking the advantage.

When I was able to be more focused, doesn't matter, tight or not tight, okay, I'm going to go for shot, I'm going to move, I'm going to hit, then straightaway I was having the opportunities.

So it was, I mean, normal good, tough match that I was able to win. So that's the most important.

Q. It's not a question about the match today, but I'm writing a long story about last year's final between Carlos and Jannik one year later. I wanted to know if you had the opportunity at the time to watch the game live or if you saw it, a few highlights, sooner or later. Generally, do you like to watch Grand Slam finals? Do you watch them as a pure tennis fan or as a professional tennis player?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I didn't watch it live, but I did watch not full match, but some parts more like towards the middle of the sets and things like that. So I kind of skip. Maybe I didn't watch -- I don't know how much they play, five hours? Of course not. But I watched some, yeah, some parts of it.

Overall of course I'm watching tennis, depends. Doesn't have to be final of slam or something. Can be just normal matches, or if I'm, yeah, I'm watching tennis, not like a crazy one or something, but yeah, when I have a chance or a moment, I'm watching. Let's say, Wimbledon, I was watching live on the TV, because I was there in one tournament and they were showing, so I was in the room, and it was just watching.

Then some matches in Indian Wells, I was watching a lot of matches, because we were staying there in a house, and there is a TV. So you just put tennis and the matches there were nonstop.

I mean, obviously because I'm professional player and all my life I spend, yes, of course I'm looking at as a professional. I'm not looking just for fun or something.

Q. I know you have talked recently about sort of this project to, like, evolve your game and your way of playing. What's that project been like? How difficult is it to try and, like, reprogram your instincts as a tennis player?

ANDREY RUBLEV: I mean, of course it's not easy, but it's the same, doesn't matter, tennis or not tennis. Everywhere is like this. To change your habit, it takes time, it takes effort, takes a lot of focus.

Of course sometimes in tennis maybe takes some sacrifices, because let's say most of the times, I don't know, when the score is tight, of course in the past I would only hit forehand. I don't know.

Now sometimes when even the score is tight, I start to do sometimes dropshots. On the tiebreak I was able to hit an important score forehand, really good opening the court, which I never really done before.

So of course before those things happen, I missed a lot of them, and a lot of them I was doing in the wrong time in bad situations, and because of this, I was losing points.

So of course it takes a lot of, kind of, yeah, sacrificing, I guess, especially in the beginning, and still it is because I'm not doing this perfectly. It's just sometimes it start to work. But I'm not the guy who is, like, you can say, Wow, what a lot of dropshots he's doing. So of course still there is a way to go.

Q. Did the idea to do that, the will to do that, did it come from you? Was it Marat? Was it a combination?

ANDREY RUBLEV: From everyone, combination of everyone. And, of course, I guess, doesn't matter what everyone is telling you. If you're not ready, it's not going to help. So of course also myself, like, I kind of admit that I need to change.

Q. Is it something that people around you had suggested to you before, to you in the past, but you hadn't wanted to...

ANDREY RUBLEV: Yeah, for sure they were telling me those things thousand times before, but I was not at that time ready to listen maybe (smiling).