When it comes to the GOAT debate, many players would choose between one member of The Big Three, Roger Federer, Novaj Djokovic or Rafael Nadal. However, when Andrey Rublev was asked to rank tennis legends, he went with another icon of the sport.
Talking with TNT Sports, Rublev first put Djokovic at number one, but when they mentioned Bjorn Borg, he immediately regretted it. “Oh, I made a mistake. Borg Bjorn at number zero. He is my favorite,” the Russian star said about the 11-time Grand Slam champion.
After that, it was the turn of Roger Federer. “I guess he is number 2, now,” he said. Then, he decided to put Pete Sampras at number three, while leaving Nadal at number 4. “I didn’t know,” the Russian laughed.
Rublev is coming from winning his second round match over Australian player Adam Walton, and he has already qualified for the fourth round after French youngster Artur Fils withdrew from the tournament due to injury.
By reaching the fourth round, Rublev has already improved his result from last year’s French Open, in which he failed in the third round, being defeated by Italian Matteo Arnaldi. However, he still has to wait to know his rival, who could be Jannik Sinner or Czech Jiri Lehecka.
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Russian star Andrey Rublev builds perfect player with Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and more
Rublev’s season so far
The 27-year-old Russian has had a patchy start to the season. Once ranked as high as World No. 5 back in 2021, he has managed just one title this year, lifting the trophy in Doha after defeating Jack Draper in the final.
Meanwhile, he fell in the opening round of the Australian Open to Joao Fonseca. His clay-court campaign has also been disappointing, marked by early-round exits in Monte Carlo, Rome, Barcelona, and Madrid, where he had been the defending champion.
