Rubin Happy To Be On Court Again

  • Posted: Sep 14, 2017

Rubin Happy To Be On Court Again

Sep142017

#NextGenATP American returns after four-month layoff

On paper, Noah Rubin’s 6-3, 6-3 win over World No. 453 Pedro Sakamoto in the first round of the ATP Challenger Tour event in Cary, North Carolina, appears ordinary. But considering it was Rubin’s first triumph since April, after missing nearly four months due to a sprained right wrist and bone bruise, it took on added significance for the #NextGenATP American.

“I almost forgot how to do it. After I won I didn’t even know what I should do out there,” Rubin joked, reflecting on Monday’s victory. “It’s great just to get the ‘W’, regardless of how I played, how he played. It was just nice to shake hands and have that winning feeling again.”

It wasn’t that long ago that Rubin was playing in the second round of this year’s Australian Open, competing inside Rod Laver Arena against eventual champion Roger Federer. Rubin competed well, earning more games than 10th-seeded Tomas Berdych would against the Swiss in the next round.

The New Yorker would win his second career ATP Challenger Tour title less than a month later in Launceston, Australia, rising to a career-high of No. 163 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. But after qualifying for the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in April, any momentum he had gained came to a halt as the 21 year old slid into a drop shot in the fourth game of his first round match against Nicolas Kicker.

The trajectory of his slide forced the American to fall forward and onto his wrist – the same wrist where he fractured his scaphoid bone five years ago – and Rubin would retire later in the first set. While the injury did not require surgery, he did not hit a tennis ball for two months.

It was Rubin’s second unlucky injury in two seasons, as the American tripped between two cracks in the pavement while on a jog last June, spraining his ankle. While he didn’t think much of it at the time, he would not regain full mobility for months, playing just one tournament between May-August 2016.

As Rubin began to practice on and off this summer, there was still pain, especially when hitting forehands. While he has played three tournaments since his injury — ATP Challenger Tour stops in Aptos, California, and Vancouver, Canada, followed by US Open qualifying – coming back has not been easy.

“It was a struggle. I don’t want to take anything away from the guys who I played, but I was in a decent amount of pain playing those two tournaments,” Rubin added. “This is the first tournament where I feel like I’m putting some of my better tennis forward.”

The World No. 205, who played college tennis for one season in North Carolina at Wake Forest University, is not looking too far ahead, and is not worrying about reaching a certain position in the Emirates ATP Rankings. All Rubin is concerned with is working hard every day in practice.

“I trust my game. I trust my mental ability. I know I have what it takes to play with the top players. So whether it’s two months from now that I get to where I want or three years, I know where I’ll be.”

Rubin, seeded sixth, next plays another Brazilian in Joao Pedro Sorgi at the Atlantic Tire Championships on Thursday. And while it may not be Federer at the Australian Open, he is simply ecstatic to be competing again, and on his way back to full health.

“I just missed being out there. Just being in the sun, hitting tennis balls, smiling, running around the court like I always do. It’s part of my life, so it’s tough to live without it.”

Source link