Rublev hopes for 'really long' Safin partnership
Andrey Rublev hopes his coaching partnership with Marat Safin will last a long time – but it depends if the tennis icon will "enjoy it or suffer".
Russian world number nine Rublev has teamed up with compatriot Safin for the European clay-court swing.
Safin, a former world number one, won the US Open in 2000 and the Australian Open in 2005 before retiring four years later.
The 27-year-old, as Safin did during his playing career, has struggled to keep his emotions in check on court and credited the 45-year-old with helping him with his mental health.
Safin was notorious for his temper, estimating he smashed 700 racquets in his career and once playing a tournament with two black eyes after a fight in Moscow.
Rublev was defaulted from the Dubai Tennis Championships last year for unsportsmanlike conduct and has previously injured himself with his own racquet.
"He had his own struggles that he went through and I was always afraid to ask [about] those things, but I always wanted to," Rublev told the ATP Tour website.
"When I found out he was looking maybe to work in tennis, it was like 'OK, I have to at least [try]'."
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Rublev has yet to win a Grand Slam, having lost 10 times in the quarter-finals.
His first tournament with Safin will be the Monte Carlo Masters, where he faces Gael Monfils on Wednesday.
"Marat is someone that was inspiring me since I was a kid," Rublev added.
"I'm just trying to listen and to try new things. We'll see how it will work, or what it will bring, or what's going to happen.
"I hope for a really long partnership, but it depends if he enjoys working with me or he will suffer.
"Because if he feels I'm not listening, I don't think he will waste his time."
