Andre Rublev has stated that he is entirely prepared to continue his coaching cooperation with Safin, though final terms must be worked out before the arrangement becomes permanent.
Just before the clay season, Safin, who retired in 2009, startled the tennis world by deciding to coach on the ATP Tour for the first time. Rublev and Safin agreed to a trial period during the clay season, which has since ended. They appeared together at the Halle tournament, but their partnership has yet to be officially confirmed for the remainder of the season.
“I am satisfied and want to continue working with Marat. Everything should be fine; we’ve talked briefly, but we still have a few details to work out,” Rublev, 27, said in Halle.
Rublev added, about the future of their collaboration, “We’re still working on it, but it looks like everything will be fine.” Rublev, who is currently ranked 14th in the world, began his coaching tenure with Safin on a rough note, going 2-4 in their first four events together. However, he quickly improved his form, finishing second in Hamburg and reaching the round of 16 at the French Open, where he was upset by world number one Jannik Sinner.
Rublev reflected on the new coaching relationship, revealing that he “always wanted to work” with one of Russian tennis’ greatest heroes before embarking on this collaboration.