Andrey Rublev has said there was no point in dreaming about “the ideal” of tennis bosses listening to players and scaling back their bloated calendar.
World No 16 Rublev, a 10-time grand slam quarter-finalist, finished last season feeling “exhausted and burnt out” after playing 26 tournaments across 15 countries and four continents.
He ultimately drew a line under his campaign in October, but a season that began on December 27, 2024 climaxed with the ATP and Davis Cup finals in November, and the Next Gen finals from December 17 to 21.
After two months off the tour treadmill and an off-season boot camp overseen by coaches including fellow Russian Marat Safin, Rublev has looked fresh and sharp at this week’s Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open.
After contesting the match of the tournament, his almost three-hour singles semi-final defeat by No 1 seed Lorenzo Musetti on Saturday, Rublev almost immediately stepped back on court to partner Karen Khachanov to a doubles semi-final victory.
Andrey Rublev is an advocate for stripping back the bloated tennis calendar. Photo: Karma Lo
Despite the restorative effects of time away, Rublev said the prospect of the sport’s chiefs condensing the season was as likely as his being able to “not lift a finger, rest for 24 hours every day and still be world No 1”.