Andrey Rublev teases “very special” Rublo drop ahead of Roland Garros

FLASHBACK: Tennis Channel Live discusses the refreshing honesty from Andrey Rublev in era of sports where athletes are trained to often give robotic answers.

Fresh off winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title in Monte Carlo, world No. 6 Andrey Rublev is dropping hints about even more special things to come ahead of Roland Garros.

This time it’s all about “Rublo”, Rublev’s signature clothing line that has made waves on tour since its launch this year. The garments have not yet been made available for fans—but that may soon change, the Russian recently told Tennis Channel.

“We will see, but hopefully something good is coming for Roland Garros,” Rublev said in an interview with Prakash Amritraj. “I don’t want to say anything, not because it’s a secret but because I don’t want to look like the guy who says, ‘I’m going to do this, I’m going to do that’ and in the end does nothing.

“I’m planning to do one good thing for Roland Garros. Hopefully I’ll be able to do it, and then we’ll see from that point.”

Rublev turned heads in January when he launched Rublo, a semi-eponymous clothing line that he described as a social project “to drive awareness around equality and kindness with the hope of making our world a better place.” The move also saw him depart from Nike, though he still wears Nike shoes on the court during competition.

Rublo has become a fast favorite among tennis fans for its classic and clean aesthetic, with Rublev rocking understated yet stylish outfits on the court and oversized jackets and cozy warm-up outfits off the court.

“To be honest, there were many times when I was thinking, ‘What am I doing?’” Rublev said of starting Rublo, “Like, ‘What a clown I am’ or something like, ‘Who do you think you are? Balenciaga or what? Doing this, acting like you are someone.’

“But then when I started to think deeper about the purpose of why I started, then it covered all these bad thoughts.

“So we’ll see. That’s why what’s going to come at Roland Garros is very special for me.”

Rublev arrives at the Mutua Madrid Open after winning in Monte Carlo and reaching a final at the ATP 250 event in Banja Luka. The No. 5 seed has won eight of his last nine matches, and awaits the winner of Maxime Cressy and Stan Wawrinka in the second round.