Pavlyuchenkova and Rublev claim mixed doubles gold at Tokyo 2020
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Andrey Rublev brought the curtain down on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Tennis Event in style, winning ROC’s first gold medal in mixed doubles tennis at the Games.
The duo shrugged off their limited experience in the format and clicked as a pair, edging compatriots Aslan Karatsev and Elena Vesnina 6-3 6-7(5) [13-11] in a thrilling final to win the second same-nation final of the tennis event, after the all-Croatian men's doubles final.
Rublev had never contested a mixed event at professional level, while Pavlyuchenkova had lost all six mixed doubles matches she had played prior to Tokyo, but they gelled as a pair on sport's biggest stage at the Ariake Tennis Park.
They took out four teams in match tie-breaks, showcasing nerves of steel in the edgy moments in victories over Croatians Darija Jurak and Ivan Dodig, Japanese duo Ena Shibahara and Ben McLachlan, eventual Australian bronze medallists Ashleigh Barty and John Peers and then their NOC counterparts.
"He always says that we’re lucky. It kind of makes me angry," Pavlyuchenkova joked afterwards in reference to their success in match-tiebreaks
"Of course there was always a bit of luck. Everything has to come together in a puzzle, but I think when it comes to these match tiebreaks, especially in such tight matches, it’s also mental. I think we were fighting like crazy in every match."
On their moment of triumph, the enormity of the achievement struck the pair, with ATP world No. 7 Rublev firing a smash and sinking to the floor, while WTA world No. 18 Pavlyuchenkova threw her arms skywards before dropping to the court to give her partner a hug.
"The feeling was unreal," admitted Rublev. "[In that moment], you feel release of all your body that was coming since you were a kid. Since I was a kid I was watching Olympics on TV, watching the different athletes winning a medal, watching winter games, summer games. I was not even thinking about winning a medal. I was hoping that one day I was going to compete.
"Now I’m here with a gold medal. After that shot, in one second all this time passing, all the tears, all the pain… it’s a release, you know. Another level."
The pair's chemistry was evident throughout - not least during the podium ceremony when Pavlyuchenkova playfully tried to add a second gold medal around her own neck and leave Rublev empty-handed.
Karatsev and Vesnina, who instantly gelled as a team when they reached this year’s Roland Garros final, were worthy silver-medallists and could so easily have made it gold. In fact, Karatsev apparently thought they had - amusingly attempting to scoop the gold medal off the tray during the medal ceremony, before realising his mistake.
For Vesnina, the runner-up finish earned her a second Olympic medal, adding to her doubles gold alongside Ekaterina Makarova in the women’s doubles event at Rio 2016.