Andrey Rublev brings two-time Grand Slam champion on board as new coach

ATP star Andrey Rublev has made a significant change to his coaching team. The 27-year-old appointed Russian ex-pro Marat Safin as his new mentor. The 2-time Grand Slam champion is all set to begin his stint alongside Rublev, starting from the upcoming clay court season.

Rublev has been under the guidance of Spanish coach Fernando Vicente since 2017. The Russian won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the 2023 Monte Carlo Masters during this time. He later expanded his coaching team by adding the former Spanish tennis player and psychologist Alberto Martín to work on his mental game. Although he managed to win the Qatar Open in 2025, the overall season still turned out to be turbulent for him.

After analyzing a need to make changes to his coaching team, Andrey Rublev decided to bring in the 2-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin as his new coach. According to a report shared by sports journalist and commentator Sofya Tartakova, the Russian ex-pro will join Rublev's team for the clay court season.

"Marat Safin is Andrei Rublev's new coach. As it became known to “Bolshe!”, Marat will join Andrey's team for the clay part of the season. Fernando Vicente will remain Rublev's main coach," she wrote on X.

This means that the 2-time Grand Slam champion will appear on the court alongside Rublev at the Monte Carlo Masters. The event is scheduled to kick off with the qualification rounds on April 5.

Andrey Rublev addresses the physical and mental struggles he faced in the past year

Andrey Rublev at the ATP Qatar ExxonMobil Open Final - Source: Getty

Andrey Rublev talked about the physical and mental issues he faced in the last few months. Before his entry at the Dubai Duty-Free Championships, the ATP star talked about a time when he struggled with his arm. He also admitted to having taken antidepressants, along with mentioning how Marat Safin helped him get rid of the medications.

"I was completely lost. I was thinking what's the purpose of living. The thing is when it happens for a few months, you still have patience (that you can overcome), but when it goes on for years you feel you cannot take it anymore," he said, in a pre-event press conference at the Dubai Tennis Championsips.

The ATP star mentioned how things turned worse, and he started relying on antidepressants to keep himself stable.

"I was taking antidepressants, but after one year of taking antidepressants, I realized that in the beginning you feel a bit better, then nothing afterwards," he said.

However, this was when Safin stepped into the picture, helping him get rid of the medication.

"Marat made me understand myself, that was a bit of a restart from the bottom. From there, little by little, I started to move in a better direction," the 27-year-old added.

After his opening round exit from the Miami Open, Andrey Rublev now prepares to compete for his 3rd ATP Masters title alongside Marat Safin.