Andrey Rublev wants to keep working with coach Marat Safin

HALLE, Garmany—In German, there is a saying that goes, ‘Every pot eventually finds its lid.’ With Marat Safin, Andrey Rublev seems to have found his perfect coach.

When the duo announced at the beginning of April that they would be starting a trial period, Rublev told Tennis.com: "Deep down, I always wanted to work with him, but I knew he wasn't interested. And I never wanted to pressure him because I really care about Marat."

He later found out that Safin, contrary to what he thought, was going to take a job in the tennis world. "I then said, 'Okay, even if I don't get it, at least I can ask. I have nothing to lose by asking.' Then my agent asked, they talked, and bit by bit we worked together for a few days."

Rublev on Safin: "We still need to iron out a few details!"

Three months have now passed. Even before Roland Garros 2025, where Rublev was eliminated in the fourth round by Jannik Sinner, the Russian told Tennis Channel DE: "Things are going well, to be honest. It's going to be very interesting. Paris is our last test tournament, then we'll see how things progress."

Reason enough then to check in on the current status for the grass court season. The 27-year-old gave us an update on arrival in Halle, Germany.

"I'm satisfied and would like to continue working with Marat," he smiled. "Everything should be okay, we've talked a little, but we still have a few details to sort out."

Rublev appeared confident but did not want to make any concrete statements: "We're still working on it, but it looks like everything will be fine," he confirmed ahead of the Terra Wortmann Open.

The Russian is competing in Halle for the eighth time and has reached the final twice. His first match will be against qualifier Sebastian Ofner. Until then, he is enjoying the peace and quiet, because, like many of his tour colleagues, he appreciates the location of the players' hotel right next to the tournament venue.

"Here in Halle, I often go to the sauna at the hotel. It's really nice, chilled and relaxed. There aren't that many people there, so you can spend some time on the terrace, which is lovely."