By “When the mind is completely absorbed in one object of meditation, it is termed Samadhi,” said the world-famous spiritual guru Sivananda once. The Sanskrit term ‘Samadhi’ has suddenly entered into the tennis context, courtesy of Russian player Andrey Rublev. After winning his first-ever Madrid Open this year, Rublev signed the camera with the word ‘Samadhi’ in it. It made fans surprised as they got to see a new, mature, spiritual side of him.
Andrey Rublev faced Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final of the Madrid Open 2024. This was after the Canadian player received a record 3 walkovers in the tournament. Rublev was the favorite to win from the start, but he had to work hard for his victory after being down one set.
Rublev beat Aliassime 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in the final. After his win, as is the norm, players often sign off by writing something on the camera. The Russian came up with an interesting message which went viral on social media.
Popular tennis influencer Bastian Fachan believes that this is the start of a great comeback story.
Andrey Rublev wrote, “Samadhi. Now I am free.”
The concept of ‘Samadhi’ has existed in Indian civilisation since ages across many religions. While it literally means concentration in English, it is a state of consciousness that one reaches while practicing deep meditation or yoga.
Now, while Rublev did not expand further on the meaning behind his message, it was clear that this win took a huge load off his mind. The rest of the phrase “Now I am free” is indicative of that.
Rublev is an Orthodox Christian, who often crosses himself during matches. But his latest revelation also indicates that he follows other traditions from religions and cultures like Buddhism.
It may have been a result of embracing the deep meditative style of concentration to attain better focus, or it could be a consultation with a yoga guru who advised him the same.
Either way, it has worked miracles on him, both professionally and personally. Rublev has a history of losing often in the quarter-finals of many tournaments, since he falters in high-pressure matches.
This year itself, Andrey Rublev was penalised with a default after a furious outburst at a linesperson at the Dubai Open 2024 semifinals. His temper is well known, which was also seen more recently in a match against Alexei Popyrin at the Monte Carlo Masters 2024, for which many fans called him a ‘clown’. But now, he seems to have found his inner peace.
It’s not just Andrey Rublev who has understood and embraced this life hack. World No.1 Novak Djokovic too believes in the miraculous healing power of meditation as well as the benefits of yoga. Every year before Wimbledon, he visits a monk for practising this art as well as receiving advice when it comes to his life and career.
This life hack seems to have changed Andrey Rublev for good besides bringing out the best in him. While he did not talk about ‘Samadhi’ directly, he spoke about improving upon his approach towards accepting defeats.
Andrey Rublev Reveals What Changed for Him in the Past Few Months
Right after his Madrid Open win, Andrey Rublev made an appearance in the ‘Tennis Insider Club’ podcast. He opened up about his mindset, how he adapted his game plan, and the steps he takes to tackle the negativity around him. What made the victory special was that Rublev was battling a high fever during the tournament.
“No but its true. It takes a lot of energy and it takes a lot of focus of course. When you feel mentally more tired, then its much tougher to play this style of the game.” Rublev said in the podcast.
The Russian was referring to the demands of modern-day professional tennis and the jarring effect it has on his body. Rublev admits that he used to get very frustrated after a loss previously, but now he has learned to handle it better. He realized that such depressing moments would lead to his life passing by without him enjoying the essence of it.
Rublev ended the podcast by saying that winning the 2023 Monte-Carlo Open remains one of his best memories in tennis. Surely, his Madrid Open 2024 win will sit next to it now. This new-found insight is set to make him a lethal force at the Italian Open and the French Open 2024 tournaments respectively.
