Buoyed by Avicii soundtrack, Andrey Rublev feels at home in Båstad

Andrey Rublev has had some emotional moments in 2022, but the fiery Russian is feeling at home at the Nordea Open, where he won his first match in over a month—surviving Federico Coria in a final-set tiebreaker, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (2).

What kept the world No. 8 going when the match got tough?

“One of my favorite artists is from here: Avicii,” he explained during his on-court interview, “and almost every changeover was playing his songs, so that was something special.”

The 24-year-old needed something special to shake off the rust after missing Wimbledon due to the Russian-Belarusian ban, especially since his last win came in the fourth round of Roland Garros, when he edged past an injured Jannik Sinner.

Following a five-set quarterfinal defeat to Marin Cilic, Rublev lost his lone grass match in Halle to Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Still, there’s something about Sweden that has Rublev in high spirits on and off the court; catching Magnus Norman in the midst of a tournament broadcast, Rublev couldn’t resist photobombing the former world No. 2 and longtime coach of Stan Wawrinka.

Seeded No. 2 in Båstad, Rublev will next face Laslo Djere for a spot in the quarterfinals on Friday.