Andrey Rublev has model girlfriend and was in One Direction tribute band

A fourth-round clash with reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz will not faze Andrey Rublev. The 27-year-old has been to the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slams and faced the best of the best. Alcaraz is included that, and he has pipped the Spaniard once in their three previous meetings, at the Madrid Open last year.

The pair have never met on grass, which will add an extra layer of intrigue to Sunday's match on Centre Court. Before they get into the nitty gritty of their showdown, Express Sport brings you a closer look at the challenger aiming to dethrone the current king of SW19...

Model girlfriend

Moscow-born Rublev began dating Anastasija Homutova - a Latvian model, former tennis player and part-time tennis coach who was brought up in Russia's capital - in 2016. And the pair have maintained a low profile ever since, with Homutova keeping her social media profiles private for the majority of the relationship.

That changed recently, however, and when her privacy setting were changed, the profile re-emerged as 'Nastja Rubleva'. Many have taken that to signify that the pair have tied the knot in a secret ceremony to cement their long-term partnership, although that has never been confirmed by Rublev.

One Direction tribute

Rublev takes a keen interest in music, and as a teenager he joined the band Summer Afternoon in a music video covering the song 'Steal My Girl' by One Direction. Rublev pops up as a fresh-faced youngster and has amassed nearly 200,000 views in the nine years since it was posted.

In more recent times, Rublev has switched his focus to making electronic music, drawing inspiration from Swedish DJ Avicii. He told The National in 2020: "I don't follow that many sports as other players do, I really follow music; I really love it. All pre-season I was taking guitar lessons and then during quarantine I started to learn how to create songs."

Godfather to rival's daughter

Rublev and Daniil Medvedev were born a year and a half apart but they have been practically lifelong friends. Having come through the junior tennis ranks together in Russia, the pair are now rivals on the court, even though they manage to maintain a healthy relationship off it.

Their bond is so deep that Rublev was made the godfather to Medvedev's first child, Alisa, who was born in 2022. Rublev is a devout Christian and he carried out part of his godfatherly duties by attending Alisa's baptism.