"If I was a girl, I would be completely in love with Grigor Dimitrov; even being a man I'm in love" - Andrey Rublev

Andrey Rublev has stated his love and admiration for Grigor Dimitrov on the sidelines of the 2023 Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS).

Rublev and Dimitrov had a heartwarming interaction during the Frankfurt leg of the UTS Tour. The latter began by stating that he liked the Russian both on and off the court.

"I like him a lot. I do [like his tennis]. I like you in the court and outside the court, so... I mean, I like you either way man. He's a great guy, he's a great guy," he said.

Rublev reciprocated the feeling by stating that he would have fallen in love with the Bulgarian had he been a woman.

"If I was a girl, I [would be] completely in love with Grigor. Even being a man I am in love with Grigor," he said.

Dimitrov responded by stating that he admired how Rublev is never afraid to show his emotions and feelings to the world.

"Rublev, I love the way you wear your heart on your sleeve man. I think everyone will fall in love with you," he expressed.

Rublev joked that they would end the day with a romantic dinner, with Dimitrov adding that it would also involve rose petals and candles.

"We will finish with a romantic dinner today," Rublev said.

"With rose petals and candles," Dimitrov added.

This is not the first time the two have expressed admiration for each other. At the Monte-Carlo Masters earlier this year, the two had their bromance on full display as they swapped their tennis racquets for vintage sticks from the 1950s and 1980s in a fun retro challenge.

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On UTS debut, Andrey Rublev defeats Grigor Dimitrov in Frankfurt final

Andrey Rublev won the Frankfurt leg of UTS 2023.

Andrey Rublev marked his UTS Tour debut by winning the title in Frankfurt, defeating Grigor Dimitrov in the final.

UTS follows a format that is completely different from traditional tennis. Each match in the event consists of four quarters, with each being eight minutes long. There's a three-minute changeover at the end of each quarter.

Any player who wins three quarters wins the match. However, if both players win two quarters each, a fifth quarter (called ‘Sudden Death’) is played, where the first player to win two consecutive points will win the match.

On Sunday, September 17, Rublev defeated Dimitrov 14-13, 12-17, 11-10, 17-16 to clinch the title in the second edition of the exhibition tournament this year.

The first edition took place in Los Angeles in July, where Yibing Wu defeated Taylor Fritz 11-16, 7-20, 12-11, 16-9, 2-0 in the final to take home the title. The third and final leg of the UTS 2023 will take place in December in Seoul, South Korea.