Andrey Rublev Reveals Why Coach Marat Safin Hasn’t Traveled with Him Recently: “We Have a Fairly Loose Relationship”

Andrey Rublev once again made it clear that he doesn’t know how long Marat Safin will be by his side. Rublev, who hired the former World No.1 earlier in 2025, said they have a loose collaboration and that Safin doesn’t always travel with him.

The 28-year-old was last seen in action in the recently concluded US Open, where he lost in four sets to Daniel Merida Aguilar in the third round. At present, Rublev is training in Barcelona with Safin. During his interview with Boshe!, when asked about the specifics of his partnership with the former two-time Grand Slam champion, Rublev revealed that the 46-year-old couldn’t travel with him recently because he was busy.

It’s hard to say anything specific because we have a fairly loose relationship. He travels when he feels like it, if he doesn’t want to, he doesn’t travel. That’s why I can’t give any specifics, because it all depends on Marat. In any case, I know the tasks I need to accomplish… He couldn’t fly recently because he was busy.

Rublev, in past interviews, credited Safin with bringing calmness and maturity to his tennis career. He also said Safin’s presence helped him play without any anxiety or stress for the first time in years.

Rublev has so far played two finals this year, losing the Barcelona Open to Arthur Fils, and winning the Swedish Open by defeating Luciano Darderi. In Majors this year, he made the fourth round of the French Open, lost in the third round of the Australian Open, and the opening round of Wimbledon. He will next be seen in action on the Asian swing.

Andrey Rublev on why Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are ahead of everyone

During that interview with Bolshe! Andrey Rublev was also asked what sets Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner apart from the rest of the field. The World No.1 and the World No.3 have won a combined 10 Grand Slam titles since 2024. They have been so dominant that only health and injury issues have affected their campaigns in the Majors.

It’s clear, besides the fact that they are physically fast players, that they have good physical attributes. They have good physical attributes. And the key point for me is that they play tennis. They play tennis… I mean, what matters is that in spite of the score, they do what they have to do. That is, it doesn’t matter whether it works out or not. In other words, they don’t play for the score. They play the way they’re supposed to play.

Their Major dominance ended at the French Open, as Alcaraz withdrew due to a wrist injury and Sinner struggled physically before losing his second-round match. This saw Alexander Zverev take home his career’s first Grand Slam title by defeating Flavio Cobolli.

Sascha, in fact, will finish the 2026 season with more Grand Slam titles than Alcaraz and Sinner as he also lifted the US Open by defeating home favorite Ben Shelton. Sinner skipped this tournament, and Alcaraz lost in the quarterfinals.

Sinner, who is recovering from a knee injury, was last seen in action in the final of Wimbledon, which he won by defeating Zverev. It was his sixth title of the season, as prior to the grass-court Major, the 25-year-old won five back-to-back Masters 1000s, with his win in Rome making him only the second man in the Open Era to complete the Career Golden Masters.

The US Open was Alcaraz’s first tournament since the Barcelona Open, where he injured his wrist. Alcaraz has clinched two titles from three finals this season: the Australian Open and the Qatar Open by beating Novak Djokovic and Arthur Fils, respectively.

Also read: Juan Carlos Ferrero Announces Return to Coaching in 2027 After Carlos Alcaraz Split