Andrey Rublev left fans chuckling after an unexpected outburst of laughter during a post-match interview at the Monte-Carlo Masters on Wednesday. The Russian tennis star, fresh off a win against Gael Monfils, was asked about his new coaching relationship with tennis legend Marat Safin—and completely lost his composure on air.
Rublev has brought in fellow Russian and former world No. 1 Marat Safin to guide him through the European clay court swing. Their collaboration is already off to a winning start, but Rublev’s reaction to being asked about it was far from conventional.
In an interview with Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj, Rublev was asked if he was enjoying working with Safin. He began to answer, “Yeah, yeah. I don’t know,” before breaking into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.
Amritraj tried to keep the conversation going, but Rublev couldn’t contain himself. “Sorry to interrupt you,” Rublev eventually said mid-laugh. “I forgot what I was going to say.”
After pulling himself together, the 27-year-old offered a more serious reflection:
“Marat is helping me a lot. He’s already helped me with a few things. For sure, the energy is in the right direction. I think I’m doing some things better. I’m on a better path—let’s see where it goes.”
Rublev and Safin’s partnership is still in its early days, but the chemistry and light-hearted moments are evident. While Rublev’s on-court game remains the priority, the positive atmosphere might be just what he needs to make a strong clay court run.
In a separate interview with the ATP earlier this week, Rublev expressed deep admiration for his new coach:
“Marat inspired me since I was a kid. He’s someone I always looked up to,” Rublev shared. “He’s gone through a lot in his career. I was always afraid to ask him about it, but I wanted to. And now that he’s open to working in tennis again, I felt like I had to at least ask.”
The partnership is still in its infancy, but tennis fans are eager to see how Rublev performs under the guidance of one of Russia’s all-time greats.
Let’s see if laughter and legacy can turn into titles this clay season.
