"Marat and the other members of my team are killing me" - Intense training schedule 'massacring' determined Rublev amid poor form on court

After an under-par 2025 campaign where his remarkable consistency was overturned with a sharp dip in form, Andrey Rublev is prepared to do anything he can to get back to the levels he once possessed. The result of this is him being 'massacred' in training.

For the first time since 2019, Rublev failed to finish inside the top 10. He was once a firm fixture among the best players in the world, regularly going deep in events and providing high quality tennis on court. 2025 has seen a change in fortune for the Russian who has not been at his best.

While there were highlights, which included a title at the start of the year in the Qatar Open after defeating Jack Draper in the final, it was mostly marred by early exits and dissatisfactory results. An example is in the opening Grand Slam event in Melbourne where he was defeated in straight sets by an 18-year-old Joao Fonseca on his major debut. After Qatar, he reached just one more final in the Hamburg Open, losing out to Flavio Cobolli. His major form took a turn for the worse. Once known as the guy who regularly achieves quarter-final results, it was the first time since 2019 where he failed to make that stage. Three fourth-round exits on the spin highlighted by who he was defeated by - specifically Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Felix Auger-Aliassime. This showed his drop in the rankings, facing tougher opposition earlier in tournaments.

He failed to win a match in the Asian swing and finished the season with a round-of-32 exit in the Paris Masters. He now languishes down in 16th in the world.

Rublev is very much determined to get back to his best while climbing up the rankings. He is coached by two-time Grand Slam champion and former world number one Marat Safin. The 45-year-old joined Rublev's camp in April and has had a positive impact on the hot-headed Russian's mentality, keeping him cooler and more composed on court.

However, there is no time for that now with the start of the season fast approaching. Rublev is being put through his paces in a rigorous training schedule bringing torture and pain, but all for a good cause. His schedule consists of two and a half hours of physical preparation ahead of two hours of high-intensity tennis. He has endured this for the good part of several weeks.

"For me, it's crazy. Marat and the other members of my team are killing me," he stated on the Greg Rusedski podcast. "I don't remember another year where they've worked me like this. No mistakes from the baseline. Maximum intensity as long as I can hold on. They're massacring me."

It is yet to be seen if it pays off for the 28-year-old. Similar to all the other players on the ATP Tour, he is getting ready and in the best shape for the beginning of the 2026 campaign, set to start in just a couple of weeks as January rapidly closes in. He is set for a return to the Hong Kong Open to commence his season, being played from January 5-12. After his surprising first-round exit last despite being the number one seed, he will be hoping for a much-improved showing. He will then turn his attention to the Australian Open as he looks to get back up to scratch in the major tournaments. He has made 10 quarter-finals, but never further. However, he has not made the last-eight since the event in Melbourne back in 2024. He will look to get back to that level and possibly even further if he is able to, breaking new ground. The event will commence from January 18 - February 1.