“Be proud of where you are and have fun when you play” – This is the mantra that Darren Cahill gave to Jannik Sinner. Just after beating Andrey Rublev in the R16 of the 2023 Miami Open, we heard Sinner say a few lines about his coach. He revealed how Cahill always tells him to keep his head up and enjoy the ride. Cahill has played an enormous role in Sinner’s rapid rise. Perhaps Rublev also got access to that secret mantra as well! Recently, the Russian was spotted sharing a piece of similar advice to his younger self through a video clip, and guess what? Cahill shared that video clip on his X handle. 

Andrey Rublev is currently the world number 6! However, his journey to this stage was never easy. Previously, he has spoken about how he has suffered from multiple issues during this phase. Playing high-intensity matches throughout the year always gives rise to added pressure and amid that pressure, players often forget to enjoy the process. While sharing a message to his younger self, Andrey Rublev said, “Hi my little friend, I hope you’re back home watching some cartoon…I’m just checking in coz maybe I can give you some advice. “When you are ranked 400th in the world, you will be happier than when you are in the top 10.”

He further added, “What I’ve learned is success is not going to make you happy, only you can do that for yourself. When you have choices listen to yourself and choose what’s right for you. You can’t avoid difficult moments but if you’re happy with yourself, the difficult moments won’t affect you much. It’s only depending on you if you want to change it.” After hearing this beautiful message, Darren Cahill shared that post with the caption, “A really good watch. A glimpse into the mind of a great player, and a great young man that always wears his heart on his sleeve. Every path is different with your own set of obstacles and it’s never a straight line. Enjoy the journey as best you can. Well done, Andrey.“

Andrey Rublev and Jannik Sinner have faced each other multiple times in their career. Although Sinner leads the H2H with a 6-3 scoreline, both these players are two of the brightest prospects in men’s tennis at the moment. If things go right, we can also see them face each other in the SF of the China Open in just a few days from now. Both Sinner and Rublev have previously expressed their respect for each other after their encounters. Let’s catch up on some of their reactions from the past.

“Jannik Sinner is an amazing player” – Andrey Rublev was in disbelief after beating the Italian at the Canadian Open

Andrey Rublev defeated a struggling Jannik Sinner in the QF of the Canadian Open. Then, the Italian came back winning their next QF clash at the Cincinnati Masters. These two never fail to entertain the fans. Earlier this year, after winning QF of the AO, we heard Jannik Sinner heap praise on the Russian. He admitted that it’s “very tough” to play against someone like Rublev. Sinner, who later went on to clinch his maiden Grand Slam title in the same tournament, claimed, “We had some very tough matches already in the past and today was three sets, but I could have lost.“

This shows the intensity of the matches whenever these two hit the court against each other. Then after winning the Canadian Open matchup against Sinner, Andrey Rublev admitted, “Jannik Sinner is an amazing player. I don’t know, not much to say, because I still for the moment… really I don’t understand what’s happening, because Jannik is an amazing player and he’s playing unbelievably for the past two years. I was just hoping that I would be able to fight with him, to show great tennis.“

Andrey Rublev stated that to win this kind of match against someone like Sinner is always very “special” and he’s very happy with this win. However, sadly for the Russian, the happiness didn’t last long as Sinner took his revenge by defeating him by 4-6,7-5,6-4 in Cincinnati. Are you excited to see them take on each other yet again this year?