Andrey Rublev claimed his 17th ATP title in Doha last week, hoisting a trophy for the first time since the previous spring. The victory delivered a much-needed surge of momentum and confidence for the Russian.
Yet, this Doha triumph has also edged him perilously close to an unwanted slice of tennis history! Rublev is desperate to dodge this dubious honor, but it looms ever larger.
He now stands just three titles shy of Brad Gilbert’s unenviable record: the most ATP trophies won without reaching a Major semi-final. The American sits atop this list, having lifted 20 Tour trophies without ever cracking the final four at a Major.
Rublev, inching toward that bittersweet mark, will fight tooth and nail to steer clear and distance himself from this list.
Andrey Rublev clinches the Qatar ExxonMobil Open title with a 7-5 5-7 6-1 victory over Jack Draperpic.twitter.com/OkNfGDiDPN
— Stad Doha (@StadDoha_en) February 22, 2025
Though this record carries little prestige, it underscores a striking imbalance in Rublev’s career – his haul of ATP titles vastly outpaces his achievements on tennis’s grandest stages. The Russian remains 0-10 in the Major quarter-finals.
He has never passed that stage in Melbourne, Paris, London or New York. For a two-time Masters 1000 champion and six-time ATP 500 winner, it’s staggering to think he has never contested a Major semi-final, despite reaching the last eight ten times.
Andrey Rublev, Doha 2025© Stream screenshot
The explanation, however, is not straightforward. By the whims of the tennis gods, Rublev has faced a gauntlet of elite opponents in those quarter-finals. Eight of his ten losses came against top-5 players, seven of them ranked in the top-4!
Titans like Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Jannik Sinner have stood in his way. Remarkably, Andrey has managed to snatch just one set across these bruising encounters.
The Russian had two chances to pass this enchanted round and enter the last four. He came agonizingly close to the semi-final at Roland Garros 2022. Rublev battled against Marin Cilic for over four hours after fending off a match point in the tenth game of the decider.
Doha 2025© Stream screenshot
Andrey squandered a break chance in game 11 and stood no chance in the match tie break, with Cilic seizing control and taking it 10-2. A few months later, the hero of our story chased the US Open semi-final berth against Frances Tiafoe.
The home favorite held his nerve in clutch moments, edging out Rublev 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 to keep the Russian’s Major quarter-final drought intact. In 2023, Andrey dropped three more quarter-finals to Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev.
His latest setback came at last year’s Australian Open, where Jannik Sinner dispatched him in straight sets. For all his talent and tenacity, the Russian’s quest for a Major breakthrough remains tantalizingly out of reach, but it might change at some stage of 2025.
Tennis World USA