How did Rublev find a way to recover? “Since Wimbledon some things changed,” he says. “I was taking anti-depression tablets and it was not helping at all. In the end I said: ‘I don’t want to take anything any more.’ I stopped all the tablets and Marat Safin [his fellow Russian, who won two grand slam titles] helped me a lot with conversation.
“He made me realise many things and then I start to work with a psychologist. I learn a lot about myself and while I don’t feel in a happy mood or the happy place I would like to be I don’t feel any more that crazy anxiety and stress of not understanding what to do with my life.”
Rublev has great empathy and he makes it clear that each individual case needs to be treated on its own merits. His decision not to take medication would not be right for many others. “You can have everything in life, a healthy family, all the material things, the healthiest relationship but, if there is something happening with yourself that you don’t want to see, you will never be happy. If you find it, and accept it, you will feel better and better.”
Rublev was the only player last year to beat Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz and he laughs enthusiastically at the reminder. “I’m not going to lie and say I don’t want to win a grand slam. This is the dream and I will do my best to try to do it. But, if I win a slam, would it change my life or compensate? For sure, not.
“It will only give me good relief that, yes, I was doing this since I was a kid and I was able to win one of the most important events. It will not make me more or less happier. Before I felt it would change my life – but it will not change it at all.”