“I knew that he was not interested”: Andrey Rublev explains how Marat Safin finally came on board

Andrey Rublev has explained the reasons behind including former world No. 1 Marat Safin in his coaching team. The 7th seed is getting ready for his debut at the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he’ll face Frenchman Gaël Monfils in one of Tuesday’s most intriguing matchups.

The Russian reached his first Masters 1000 final in Monte-Carlo back in 2021, and two years later claimed his first title at this level by defeating Holger Rune in a tight three-set final. This time, he’s looking to improve on his disappointing 2024 campaign, where, as defending champion, he lost in the opening round to Alexei Popyrin.

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Rublev’s connection with Safin is not new; he has known him since childhood, and Safin has been a source of support throughout his career, even before officially joining his team. “First of all, Marat is someone that was inspiring me since I was a kid,” Rublev stated in an interview with the ATP Tour.

“Then obviously he knows me since I was a kid and I know him since I was a kid, and later on I started to get to know him more,” the world No. 8 added. “He was just an amazing person and then he’s been through many tough things.”

Andrey Rublev at 2024 Madrid Open. He won his second Masters 1000 title against Felix Auger-Aliassime

Rublev has had several on-court controversies, with emotional outbursts when things don’t go his way. The former world No. 5 has acknowledged that Safin has played a key role in helping him manage his emotions. Their closeness and Safin’s continued support led the 26-year-old to invite him to be part of his team.

“Deep inside, I always wanted to work together, but I knew that he was not interested," Rublev said in an interview with Tennis.com. "And I never wanted to put any pressure because I really care about Marat. Later on, I found out that he's kind of ready to work in tennis or something like that, that he don’t mind.

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"And then I say, ‘OK, even if it's not gonna be me, at least I can ask.’ I have nothing to lose if I ask. Then my agent ask, they talk and little by little we work for a couple of days together.”

Though Safin was known as a hardcourt specialist, the former world No. 1 also achieved notable results on clay. He won two clay-court titles – including the ATP 500 Barcelona Open – reached four other clay finals, and had strong showings with semifinal runs at both the Monte-Carlo Masters and Roland Garros.

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