Tennis
Andrey Rublev victorious plus 5 more talking points from Red Bull Bassline
Russian tennis ace Rublev took home the title in the frantic and frenetic tie-break tournament. Here’s how the action went down on the clay in Madrid, Spain.
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Returning for its third edition, Red Bull Bassline brought eight of the world's best players together for a unique one-night-only, tie-break tennis event set against a background of pumping DJ beats.
The knock-out tournament saw players compete in a rapid, best-of-three format that lasted just 10 to 16 minutes per match. There was no umpire either, with the players calling the shots. The format included four quarter-finals, two semis and a final, with each match featuring short, intense battles.
1 min
What is Red Bull Bassline?
Here's how the rules and format work at the high-energy tennis tournament that's Red Bull Bassline.
For the first time in its history Red Bull Bassline took place outside of Austria with the event held in Spain, specifically Madrid, and the Arantxa Sánchez Vicario Stadium. These were the eight tennis stars signed up to play in the Spanish capital...
- Stefanos Tsitsipas
- Andrey Rublev
- Feliciano López
- Sebastian Korda
- Martín Landaluce
- Frances Tiafoe
- Casper Ruud
You can catch up on match action from Red Bull Bassline below as well as find out what went down during an incredible night of tennis in Madrid.
01
Andrey Rublev continues his winning streak
The 25-year-old Muscovite continued his recent good form at Red Bull Bassline, having claimed trophies in ATP tournaments in Banja Luka and Monte Carlo earlier this month. Now ranked number six in the world, Rublev faced Norway’s Casper Rudd, the current world number four. Rublev ultimately won the tight contest by two sets to nil. You can watch the full match between them in the video below
"We had fun,” Rublev said. “There were tight matches for the first two [his first two matches of the tournament]. I won in three sets. So you feel a bit of tension and a bit nervous and want to win. You start to feel the competition, you know? And that's I guess what we're looking for. You feel this emotion you won't feel during practice, and here it's more real. You face the tension, and that's a nice feeling.”
13 min
Casper Ruud vs Andrey Rublev
Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev go head to head in the final of Red Bull Bassline 2023.
02
Knock-out means you only get one shot
Unfortunately for four-time Grand Slam finalist Dominic Thiem, his Red Bull Bassline experience was not destined to be a long one. In the first match he faced Stefanos Tsitsipas – with whom he’d last gone head-to-head with in the end-of-season ATP Finals in 2020.
In that fateful match, Thiem came out on top. This time around, it was Tsitsipas’s turn, meaning Thiem’s Bassline was over. But, in characteristic fashion, Thiem had nothing but respect for his opponent.
“It was tough to lose but a great experience,” he says. “A little bit unlucky that two Red Bull athletes are facing each other in the first round but it was a great match!”
20 min
Stefanos Tsitsipas vs Dominic Thiem
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Dominic Thiem go head to head in the quarter-finals at Red Bull Bassline 2023.
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Rudd was on fire
Despite losing in the final to Rublev, Norwegian Rudd was crushing it, dominating his quarter-finals match-up against Sebastian Korda, and taking on Feliciano López in the semi-finals where he put in a commanding performance, besting López in straight sets.
“He played so good, simple as that,” Rudd said of the final match against Rublev. “That’s how it is sometimes and I had a great time. I hope I can play one more time in the future. It was fun… different feelings but you can hear the crowd are very cheerful!”
14 min
Feliciano López vs Casper Ruud
Feliciano López and Casper Ruud go head to head in the semi-finals at Red Bull Bassline 2023.
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Tsitsipas gave it his all
Tsitsipas swung for victory at Red Bull Bassline, even if he didn’t quite make it this time. Battling Rublev in the second semi-final, the 24-year-old must have been feeling the pressure, as heart-rate monitors clocked him at an incredible 178 bpm as the two players locked horns.
21 min
Andrey Rublev vs Stefanos Tsitsipas
Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas go head to head in the semi-finals at Red Bull Bassline 2023.
05
López stole the show
Despite crashing out in the semi-finals, local boy López was feeling the love – especially so as he claims Red Bull Bassline would be his last match in his hometown of Madrid!
“I enjoyed it a lot. It was a great opportunity for me to play one last time, in my hometown. It doesn’t get any better than that. Unfortunately I wasn’t the winner of the night but I had a great experience, I have to say.”
But, while López ruled out a return to playing in Madrid again, he’s more than excited to continue his Red Bull Bassline journey. “We’re already thinking already about where we’re going to do our next Red Bull Bassline!” he enthused. “We have a few different cities in mind!”
A case of watching this space for that news…
18 min
Frances Tiafoe vs Feliciano López
Frances Tiafoe and Feliciano López go head to head in the quarter-finals at Red Bull Bassline 2023.
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Red Bull Bassline is about making memories
Any competitive tournament is about pitting yourself against your peers and (hopefully) coming away with a shiny trophy.
However, at Red Bull Bassline, the unique approach to tennis encourages creativity and a different approach to tennis. As such, it’s the experience of the three editions of the competition that the athletes have participated in so far that they truly value.
Andrey Rublev was certainly happy with his Bassline experience
© Charly López/Red Bull Content Pool
Tsitsipas, the tournament's innovative format creator, agrees: "I absolutely enjoyed the experience. It was fun getting to play this format once again. Sharing this with the boys is always something that's going to be memorable, and the fact that we were able to host this in Madrid makes it very special for all of us, especially for me. I had fun, and that's the most important thing.”
Watch all the matches from Red Bull Bassline in full from Madrid here.
23 min
How Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev battled for the win
Check out the highlights from Red Bull Bassline, where eight of the world's best tennis players faced off.
What happened at Red Bull Bassline in 2022
Russia's Karen Khachanov was crowned the second winner of Red Bull Bassline when the event took place in Vienna in October 2022. Khachanov beat Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 3-1 in the final to take a well-earned victory. Taylor Fritz, Filip Misolic, Andrey Rublev and Diego Schwartzman were the other players that took part in that tournament.
Red Bull Bassline 2022 champ: Karen Khachanov
© Matthias Heschl / Red Bull Content Pool
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