The tennis tour brings in a lot of new opportunities for the players. From brand endorsements to ambassadors, players are always looking for new roles. The ongoing Nitto ATP Finals now has Nick Kyrgios taking on the role of a commentator on the tennis channel. Kyrgios seems to be taking the responsibility seriously, as he even offered to help Andrey Rublev after he was eliminated from the event.
Rublev lost all three of his group-stage matches in Turin. During the match against Alexander Zverev, he was highly agitated. Rublev hit the racket on his knee multiple times in anger. The reaction made Kyrgios step in as he said, “Rublev shouldn’t go home disappointed after his overall performance this year.” The Australian offered to fly wherever Rublev was to help with the mental aspect of his game.
😂 What a season @AndreyRublev97 !! You should be proud! See you down under ☀️ https://t.co/O2I90DZa1p
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) November 18, 2023
Kyrgios mentioned that Rublev can try to channel his emotions better. The 28-year-old smiled as he couldn’t believe he was talking about controlling emotions. Kyrgios accepted that the game affects a player’s mentality. It was the first time Rublev had not won a match at the event, and he was not satisfied with the results at Turin. Last season, Rublev reached the semifinals for the first time.
Andrey Rublev gains a miserable record after ATP Finals defeat
The 2023 Nitto ATP Finals was not a good outing for Rublev. The Russian was playing at the event for the fourth successive year. His performance meant it was the first time in more than a decade that a player had failed to win a set at the event. In 2010, David Ferrer exited the event after losing three consecutive straight-set matches.
Ferrer had lost to Roger Federer, Robin Soderling, and Andy Murray in the group stage matches. The Spaniard could only win 19 games in total. Meanwhile, Rublev suffered a similar fate while losing to Daniil Medvedev, Zverev, and Carlos Alcaraz. The world No. 5 won 21 games in three matches and had his chances in the first two matches to take a set but could not convert them.
Andrey Rublev’s season has come to an end.
But what a season it’s been.
🔹4th consecutive top 10 finish
🔹Monte Carlo Champion (1st Masters title)
🔹Bastad Champion
🔹Shanghai Finalist
🔹Australian Open Quarterfinalist
🔹Wimbledon Quarterfinalist
🔹US Open… pic.twitter.com/zZBcocrSEq
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 17, 2023
The 26-year-old will be looking to move on from his experience at Turin. The bigger picture was Rublev winning his debut Masters 1000 title at Monte Carlo. He also reached the quarterfinals in three of the four grand slams this year. So, the Russian needs to focus on the milestones he has achieved in the past 11 months. Rublev will certainly come back stronger in the upcoming 2024 season.