Andrey Rublev cannot find a minimum of continuity this season, despite having hired his idol Marat Safin as his second coach along with Fernando Vicente to give a positive turn to his career.
The Russian ace is trying to change his attitude on the tennis court, but he struggles to be regular and his performances are characterized by an excessive number of ups and downs. His 2025 has not been positive so far and if he does not achieve particularly brilliant results in the upcoming tournaments he will also start the 2026 season with little confidence.
Taking advantage of the absence of world number 1 Carlos Alcaraz, it was reasonable to expect that the player from Moscow would give his best at the Shanghai Masters 1000 to get as far as possible, instead his run in the penultimate Masters 1000 of the season ended already in the second round against Yoshihito Nishioka. After winning the first set with relative ease, Andrey's level dropped dramatically and the Japanese player was able to prevail in a comeback thanks to a solid and orderly performance.
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Rublev is desperate
Commenting on this bad loss, Rublev seemed almost resigned and his words were particularly harsh towards himself: "My game has reached its limit and my opponents know perfectly well what they have to do when they play against me. If I continue like this, I'll stay in the Top 20 for a while, and then the young up-and-coming stars will drag me further back.
In order to avoid this scenario, I have to try to change everything and give a new turn to my career. I feel the need to change almost everything right now, following in the footsteps of players like Alcaraz and Sinner. I think I can learn a lot of things from them."
The Russian player who was number 5 in the world as his best ranking in 2021 currently occupies the 14th position in the ATP ranking and gives the feeling of being in decline. He is 27 years old and time is on his side, but next season will be crucial for his future.
