'Deep down, I always wanted to work with him': Andrey Rublev hoping to continue his relationship with Marat Safin

Andrey Rublev seems to have found a perfect match for his game with former world number one Marat Safin.

Following a trial period throughout April, Rublev has confirmed that he hopes to continue working with Safin after waiting so long for the chance. Rublev told Tennis.com when the trial period began, “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".

Contrary to what Rublev believed, Marat Safin was indeed ready to take a job in the tennis world. After conversations with his agent, Rublev would say, “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".

The pair have seemingly been working well together so far, with three months now passed since the partnership began. Following his defeat in the fourth round of the French Open at the hands of Jannik Sinner, Rublev spoke to Tennis Channel DE and said, “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".

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

So it appears that Rublev is confident to continue this relationship going forward but not all is certain and things could change, the Russian tennis player would conclude by saying "We're still working on it, but it looks like everything will be fine".

As of now, Rublev is enjoying his time at the Terra Wortmann Open. This will be his eighth time at the tournament, having reached the final twice, so it is clearly an event he enjoys and a good way to prepare for the upcoming grass swing. Rublev will face a test against qualifier Sebastian Ofner in the opening round on the 17th of June as he looks to settle into the event and make his mark ahead of Wimbledon.

Until that match takes place, however, Rublev has been enjoying the locality of the players’ hotel to the 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".