In Madrid, Rublev found himself: "Mentally, I feel much better".

We keep saying it, but there was no reason to believe that Andrey Rublev would be on court this Sunday, aiming for the title in Spain. After a good start to the season (14 victories in 18 matches), the Russian has been in the doldrums. Disqualified for insulting a linesman in his semi-final against Bublik (in Dubai), the Moscow native has suffered a string of unexpected defeats (4 in a row, all without winning a single set).

But Madrid changed everything. The world number 8 is back to his best, and impressing. Buoyed by a monstrous serve and incisive groundstrokes, the Russian was winning set after set (losing just one - to Alcaraz in the quarters). When asked about this magnificent revival, Rublev explains that this comeback is due to a new-found mental freshness: "That's for sure. Mentally, I feel much better. I've been able to play with my emotions in the right direction. That helped me get to the final. Without that, I wouldn't be in the final."

In the final (this Sunday, not before 6.30pm), Andrey Rublev will face Félix Auger-Aliassime. Asked about this duel, the Russian, who is much higher ranked than his future opponent, was keen to calm things down: "I don't see it that way. Because I know that Felix was in the top 10. He didn't play for a while last year. Now he's playing better and better. We played at the beginning of the season. I saved I don't know how many match points. He almost beat me. In previous matches, he'd beaten me too. [I never look at the rankings because I know the players and the way they play. Judging by rankings, in tennis, it doesn't work like that."