Andrey Rublev says Roger Federer's QF run at Wimbledon was "unreal", believes it's proof of the Swiss' greatness

Andrey Rublev has admitted that he could not quite believe Roger Federer managed to make the quarterfinals of Wimbledon last month despite playing barely any tennis for more than a year.

During a press conference ahead of his 2021 National Bank Open campaign, Rublev was asked for his thoughts on Federer's remarkable run at Wimbledon this year. In response, the Russian said Federer's feat was "unreal" and "unbelievable."

"I'm sure I'm not going to be the first one to say this (Roger Federer's Wimbledon QF run) was something unreal, something unbelievable," Rublev said. "That he's the only one who could make it."

But Rublev insisted he was not surprised that the Swiss managed to reach the last eight considering his status as one of the finest players of all time.

"By the way, I'm not really surprised because this is Roger, he breaks so many records," Rublev went on. "He is one of the best tennis players in history. And that's what he's doing and achieveing it's just unreal."

Since his comeback in March, Federer has only played 13 matches on tour, five of which came at the Championships. Overall, the Swiss has played just five tournaments since the 2020 Australian Open due to his knee injury and subsequent surgeries.

Andrey Rublev at Wimbledon

Highlighting that fact, Rublev marveled at how Federer managed to make so much progress at Wimbledon despite the lack of matches under his belt.

"He's still playing, still winning great matches after surgery without really playing many tournaments," Rublev said. "I mean, since he stopped last year, after Australia, I think, if I'm not wrong, he played only I think Doha, Roland Garros, and then he is quarterfinal at Wimbledon."

"So it's something unreal, to not play for more than one year and play only two tournaments and before Wimbledon, nothing and straight to play Wimbledon," added the Russian. "It just shows how great he is."

To win a gold medal for your country is something that you can only dream about: Andrey Rublev

Andrey Rublev and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova celebrate after winning gold

Andrey Rublev won the gold medal in the mixed doubles event at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics. Rublev partnered with Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova to beat compatriots Aslan Karatsev and Elena Vesnina in the summit clash.

When asked for his thoughts on winning gold for Russia, Rublev struggled to find the words to describe his achievement. He eventually said it was a dream come true. The Russian pointed out that the Olympics is an event everyone watches from a very young age, which automatically sparks dreams of winning a medal.

"I mean, first of all, to win a gold medal for country is something that you can only dream about," Rublev said. "Even when you were a kid, everybody's following Olympic Games.

"And then when you're growing up, you start to understand what it is and you understand that there is a Winter Olympic Games and then there's summer Olympic Games and then you start thinking, maybe one day, I'm gonna compete to win a gold medal it is something that is unreal."