With his upset win at this week's Barcelona Open, Andrey Rublev continues as a young name to watch on the ATP Tour. Find out more about this rising Russian player.
ATP: Nadal Beats Almagro in Barcelona Opener
1. Vital Statistics: Rublev was born in Moscow, Russia on October 20th, 1987. He still resides in Moscow today.
2. Early Days: Known as "Rubl", he started playing tennis at age three. His father was a former boxer while his mother and sister are both tennis coaches.
3. Junior Standout: After starting out in junior tournaments, Rublev became a force as a young teenager. Though known for a fiery disposition, the Russian calmed down long enough to win the prestigious Orange Bowl 16s in 2012.
4. Grand Slam Glory: In 2014, Rublev achieved big things at the junior Grand Slams. He won the French Open boys' title over Jaume Antoni Munar Clar of Spain in the final. That made Rublev the first Russian winner of the boys' title in Paris since 1966. Rublev later backed up that success by reaching the Wimbledon boys' doubles final a few weeks later with Stefan Kozlov. Those results allowed Rublev to finish as ITF Junior No. 1 in 2014.
5. In His Own Words: “I am happy to finish this year as World Champion. I thank my family, coaches and team for all the support I was getting all the time. I also understand that this is just the first step and will do my best to score further victories.," Rublev said on being the first Russian male ever to finish the year as Junior No. 1.
6. Breakthrough Year: 2015 is already proving to be a good year for the newly turned pro on the main tour. In Delray Beach, Rublev beat Dudi Sela in his opening round match. Then in Miami, Rublev won over Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta to reach the round of 64.
7. Big in Barcelona: At the Barcelona Open, Rublev came through qualifying to then face Spain's Fernando Verdasco in the first round. Rublev went on to earn his biggest win to date with a 7-6(4), 6-3 win over the 2010 champion.
8. Stat To Remember: With his win in Barcelona, the 329th-ranked Rublev has now won a main draw match at an ATP 250, 500, and Masters 1000 event this season.
9: Idol Worship: Though he admires and studies players like Roger Federer and Milos Raonic, Rublev's favorite player is Rafael Nadal.
10: Social Savvy: Follow Rublev on Twitter.
(Sources: ATP, ITF, USTA)