Andrey Rublev moves in front of Roger Federer on the ATP rankings list

• Tennis News
• ATP Tennis

At the beginning of the season, Andrey Rublev trailed Roger Federer by 2500 points on the ATP rankings list. Four months later, the Russian has moved ahead of the 20-time Major champion, entering the top-7 for the first time after competing in the first Masters 1000 final in Monte Carlo!

Finding his form in the previous season, Andrey has carried it into 2021, winning 24 out of 29 matches this year and standing second in the ATP Race behind Stefanos Tsitsipas. Rublev won four encounters at the ATP Cup to celebrate the title for Russian alongside Daniil Medvedev, losing to his compatriot in the Australian Open quarter-final and conquering Rotterdam two weeks later, lifting his fourth straight ATP 500 crown!

After the semi-final losses in Doha and Dubai, Rublev advanced into the last four at the Miami Open, hitting the Masters 1000 semis for the first time in a career. Heading to Monte Carlo with a lot of confidence, Andrey ousted Roberto Bautista Agut in the third round to set Rafael Nadal clash.

Facing his idol for the third time, Andrey produced a marvelous 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 victory in two hours and 32 minutes, losing ground a bit in the second set before bouncing back to stun the 11-time champion and remain on the title course.

Ahead of the Nadal clash, Andrey asked for the ATP 500 Barcelona Open wild card, thinking he is going out and wanting to play more matches before Madrid. Adding more points to his tally, Rublev beat Casper Ruud 6-3, 7-5 in the semi-final clash, securing 600 ATP points and moving into his first Masters 1000 final.

Andrey Rublev is the new world no. 7, leaving Roger Federer behind him.

Seeking the most notable title of his career, Andrey experienced a 6-3, 6-3 loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas, leaving Monte Carlo with the runner-up prize but passing Roger Federer on the ATP list thanks to those points.

The 22-year-old Greek lost the previous two title matches at the Masters 1000 series, changing that in the Principality to write the Greece tennis history. Tsitsipas needed 71 minutes to topple Rublev, controlling the pace in his games and delivering three breaks to lift the trophy and become the ATP Race leader in front of his opponent.

Stefanos dropped ten points in nine service games, never facing a break point and mounting the pressure on Andrey's side of the court. The Russian stood no chance against the mighty Greek and lost serve three times to propel the rival towards the trophy.

Stefanos fired 18 winners and 13 unforced errors, overshadowing Andrey's 10-21 ratio and overpowering him in every segment to celebrate the biggest title since the ATP Finals in 2019.