«The plan worked»: Rublev explained why he did not go to the Games in Paris

MOSCOW, August 12 Russian tennis player Andrey Rublev, who previously reached the final of the Masters tournament in Montreal, said that he did not take part in the Olympics in Paris in order to perform well in Canada.
In June, Rublev, the Tokyo Olympic champion in mixed doubles, received permission to participate in the Olympics in Paris from the International Tennis Federation (ITF), but refused to participate in the tournament. On Monday night, Rublev reached the final of the Masters tournament in Montreal, beating Italian Matteo Arnaldi. Before that, he defeated the world's number one tennis player, Italian Jannik Sinner.
«It was worth the wait. I'm happy to be in my first Canadian final. I just want to recover, have a good rest and be ready for the final. The idea of ​​not going to the Olympics was to be more prepared for Canada, so if I'm in the final, our plan worked,» the official ATP website quotes Rublev as saying.
The Olympic Games in Paris were held from July 26 to August 11. Fifteen Russians were admitted to the Games: seven tennis players, three canoeists, three cyclists, one trampoline jumper and one swimmer. By decision of the IOC, the athletes competed in neutral status, without the Russian flag and anthem, and their awards were not reflected in the medal table.