Alcaraz holds a perfect 12-0 record in 2026, having started his campaign by winning the Australian Open before adding the ATP 500 crown in Doha last week.

The 22-year-old Spaniard's victory at the Qatar Open extended his lead as the world No 1, taking his points total to 13,550 - the fourth-highest ranking points figure in ATP history.

The seven-time major winner defeated Rublev, who was the reigning champion, 7-6(3), 6-4 in a high-level semi-final in Doha.

In an interview with Spanish news outlet Marca, Rublev was asked if he is a player who considers Alcaraz to be unbeatable.

"I think it's more of a question for him because he's the one winning the matches," said the world No 18, who has been ranked as high as fifth.

"My feeling is that I want to beat him. And that I want to be competitive enough to win titles. You can't get it into your head that he's invincible.

"You have to respect Carlos and any other opponent, but at the same time believe in yourself and think you can win. If you don't believe it, it's better not to go out on the court."

Asked what conclusions he drew from his latest match with Alcaraz, Rublev said: "I learned a lot. The first is that I'm on the right track. It's the first match where I felt competitive playing against him from the baseline.

"In previous matches, including the one I won against him in Madrid or when I won a set, it was more because Carlos played poorly or because I, at times, played very well. The Doha match was completely different.

"It's true that he played well, without doing anything incredible, but I was able to compete on equal terms from the baseline. I felt like I could keep up with his pace, his power, his intensityÃ¢¦ And it's the first time I've noticed that with Alcaraz on the other side of the net.

"The other times we'd played, if I didn't finish the point on the third or fourth shot, I had no chance. I couldn't keep up with his pace or his intensity, something that did happen in Qatar.

"Before, the only tactic that worked for me was hitting a winner because, if we got into a rally, he would take complete control.

"In the recent semi-finals, I felt there was no need to play so quickly and I could defend the long rallies. To beat him, it's also a matter of details that he does better than I do."

Rublev holds a 1-5 head-to-head record against Alcaraz.

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