Now there's Jannik Sinner: Andrey Rublev bursts out laughing on TV

On Jannik Sinner’s way in Rome is the Andrey Rublev obstacle: the Azzurro, who has reached 31 consecutive Masters 1000 victories, is aiming determinedly for the semifinals of the Internazionali d’Italia, and so far his path at the Foro Italico has been overwhelming. Rublev has faced Jannik Sinner 10 times in his career, losing seven matches but always showing himself to be a tough opponent for the champion from Sesto Pusteria, who last lost to him in 2024 in Canada. However, the South Tyrolean’s current form scares everyone, and Rublev himself was keen to point this out in an interview with Tennis Channel.

After the question about Sinner, Rublev laughed: “How many Masters in a row has he already won? Five? And how many matches, about 30 in a row? He is getting closer to defeat. The more he wins, the closer to defeat…,” the Moscow player said wryly.

“Am I excited to face him? Um, no I’m not excited, I’m not sick, I’m fine… If you ask me if I would prefer to play against someone else, of course I would prefer to play against someone else. But if I wanted to challenge myself against Jannik, yes, that too. I would like to challenge myself against Jannik.”

With the victory over Pellegrino, Sinner reached 31 consecutive Masters 1000 wins, equaling the all-time record that belonged to Novak Djokovic. Now, by beating Rublev, he could even surpass him and single-handedly write a page of tennis history. The South Tyrolean is also coming off 13 wins in a row on clay, a streak that began in Monte Carlo, proving that the red surface no longer represents any limitation for the San Candido champion.

Rublev, for his part, arrives at the quarterfinal with an up-and-down performance this season on clay: after reaching the semifinals in Barcelona, he exited prematurely in both Monte Carlo and Madrid. The Muscovite had also raised controversy in recent days, complaining about the condition of the Foro Italico courts in an interview with Russian media outlet Championat: “The bounces are bad and the courts crooked. These courts look nothing like those in Paris.”