Rublev credits rise to his love for the game

Andrey Rublev has had quite the year, and the motivation behind his rise to Top 30 may be quite simple: love for the game.

"I love so much tennis," he told the ATP. "It's kind of love another level that I love and I cannot imagine my life without it."

The 22-year-old started the year at No. 68 and is currently at a career-high ranking of No. 22. But he never looks at the rankings.

"I still didn't see the ranking since already two years," he said. "You stress yourself and it's going only worse."

He reached the final in Hamburg and then the quarterfinals of Cincinnati with a win over Roger Federer. Then in Moscow, he won his first match in his home city followed up by four more to win his second career ATP title.

There's no doubt that Rublev will be one to closely watch in 2020 as he inches closer to the Top 20—perhaps still without really realizing it.