Andrey Rublev Credits Coach Marat Safin for Positive Change in Mindset: “I Didn’t Understand Point of Living”

Andrey Rublev opened up about his severe mental health struggles before his match against Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of the Italian Open. Rublev beat Nikoloz Basilashvili to reach the quarterfinals of a tournament for the fifth time this year.

Prior to entering the court, Rublev gave an interview to L’Equipe during which he made a heartbreaking confession about his struggle to find meaning in life. He doesn’t deal with such negative thoughts, all thanks to his deep conversations with his consulting coach, Marat Safin.

I had hit rock bottom, I had completely lost myself, I was in pieces. Today, I’m a lot better. It wasn’t specific to tennis. I wasn’t finding meaning in life in general. I no longer took any pleasure in anything. I didn’t understand what the point of living was. Every day was the same. It sounds dramatic, put like that, and it’s hard for me to describe exactly what I was feeling, because I don’t feel it any more.

Rublev hired Safin in March last year ahead of the clay swing to help him manage his emotions. The partnership has improved Rublev’s mental stability.

I tried a thousand things. What really helped me was Marat. You know, when you open the bonnet of a car to look at what’s inside? Well, he did the same with my brain. He opened up my skull, and a lot of answers to my questions started to appear. We went deeper into it, and I saw more and more things. Before that, I had tried several therapies, different things – without which I wouldn’t have gone to Marat. All of that brought me to feeling much better.

Andrey Rublev added

Rublev has already played a final this season. In the Barcelona Open title clash, he lost in straight sets to Arthur Fils. The last time he clinched a title was at the 2025 Qatar Open, where he defeated Jack Draper.

The 28-year-old has so far clinched two Masters 1000 titles: the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters against Holger Rune, and the 2024 Madrid Open against Felix Auger-Aliassime. He has also made four more finals at this level, last reaching the stage at the 2024 Canadian Open, losing to Alexei Popyrin. Rublev played the quarterfinals in Rome for the second time in his career.

Next is the Roland Garros, but before that, several players, including the top ones, will play the Hamburg Open. But Rublev’s name is not on the entry list. He reached the final last year only to lose to Flavio Cobolli.

Jannik Sinner beats Andrey Rublev to reach his fifth consecutive Masters 1000 semifinal

Jannik Sinner stopped Andrey Rublev from progressing to the Italian Open semifinals with a 6-2, 6-4 win. With this victory, the Italian ace reached his fifth consecutive semifinal this year as well as his sixth consecutive Masters 1000 semifinal.

The 24-year-old, who now holds an 8-3 head-to-head record over the Russian ace, will next be locking horns with Martin Landaluce or Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals.

If Sinner wins the home tournament, he will become the second man, after Novak Djokovic, to complete the Career Golden Masters. He is also bidding to become the first man to win six consecutive Masters 1000 titles, as he last lost a match at this level in the third round of last year’s Shanghai Masters.

Before arriving in Rome, Sinner completed the Sunshine Double, won his second clay-court title by stopping Carlos Alcaraz from defending his title in Monte Carlo, and later beat Alexander Zverev in the Madrid Open final. He was the runner-up in Rome last year.

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