onto his back, legs outstretched with his hands covering his face. Red clay covered his shirt and his legs as he stood up seconds later. He let out a deep exhale.
He had arrived in Madrid without a match win in 49 days — a near-eternity during the spring tennis season — and was leaving as an unexpected champion.Despite a debilitating (presumed) virus that plagued him throughout, everything clicked for Rublev in Spain. He rattled off win after win, including over Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, and defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in Sunday’s final. It was his second Masters 1000-level title and 16th title on the ATP Tour.
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