Andrey Rublev claimed his 17th ATP title in Doha last week, hoisting a trophy for the first time since the previous spring.The victory delivered a much-needed surge of momentum and confidence for the Russian.
Yet, this Doha triumph has also edged him perilously close to an unwanted slice of tennis history! Rublev is desperate to dodge this dubious honor, but it looms ever larger.
He now stands just three titles shy of Brad Gilberts unenviable record: the most ATP trophies won without reaching a Major semi-final. The American sits atop this list, having lifted 20 Tour trophieswithout ever cracking the final four at a Major.
Rublev, inching toward that bittersweet mark, will fight tooth and nail to steer clear and distance himself from this list.
Though this record carries little prestige, it underscores a striking imbalance in Rublevs career - his haul of ATP titles vastly outpaces his achievements on tenniss grandest stages. The Russian remains0-10 in the Major quarter-finals.
He has never passedthat stage in Melbourne, Paris, London or New York.For a two-time Masters 1000 champion and six-time ATP 500 winner, its staggering to think he hasnever contested a Major semi-final, despite reaching the last eight ten times.
The explanation, however, is notstraightforward. By the whims of the tennis gods, Rublev has faced a gauntlet of elite opponents in those quarter-finals. Eight of his ten losses came against top-5 players, seven of them ranked in the top-4!
Titans like Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Jannik Sinner have stood in his way. Remarkably, Andreyhas managed to snatch just one set across these bruising encounters.
The Russian had two chances to pass this enchanted round and enter the last four. He cameagonizingly close to the semi-finalat Roland Garros 2022. Rublev battled against Marin Cilic for over four hours after fending off a match point in the tenth game of the decider.
Andrey squandered a break chance in game 11 and stood no chance in the match tie break, withCilic seizing control and taking it 10-2. A few months later, the hero of our storychased the US Open semi-final berth against Frances Tiafoe.
The home favorite held his nerve in clutch moments, edging out Rublev 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 to keep the Russians Major quarter-final drought intact.In 2023, Andreydropped three more quarter-finals to Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev.
His latest setback came at last years Australian Open, where Jannik Sinner dispatched him in straight sets. For all his talent and tenacity, the Russians quest for a Major breakthrough remains tantalizingly out of reach, but it mightchange at some stage of 2025.
