Rublev laments that Safin-style brutal training is killing him, while Svitolina says today's women's tennis level is becoming more uniform

Here are two tennis news updates: Recently, Russian star Rublev poured out his frustrations in an interview, saying that the training program designed by Safin has become so harsh that it is "destroying him." Meanwhile, during the off-season, Svitolina spoke about the current competitive landscape in women's tennis and responded to expectations for her to achieve a career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open next year.

“It's just crazy for me.” Russian tennis player Rublev recently opened up to the media in a rare moment, describing his daily training routine with Safin.

Reportedly, Safin and his team have crafted a training schedule down to the minute: two and a half hours of physical preparation aimed at boosting his endurance and explosiveness; followed by two hours of intense tennis drills focusing on technical details and match simulations, allowing no slack. However, Rublev emphasized that during hitting practice, no mistakes are tolerated, describing this training method as pure "baseline torture."

“Marat (Safin) and the rest of my team are killing me. I don't remember any year when they trained me like this, not allowing any errors from the baseline. As long as I can hold on, that's maximum intensity. They are destroying me,” Rublev confessed to reporters in the interview.

In response, Russian tennis training expert Mark Petrov analyzed: “Safin has transferred the extreme self-demands he had during his own career onto Rublev's training. This approach may cause immense physical and mental stress in the short term, but in the long run, it might develop a more resilient competitive mindset.”

In today's increasingly fierce professional tennis competition, many players and teams are seeking to gain an edge by pushing beyond traditional training intensities.

However, many netizens expressed understanding of this training style. One commenter said, "Professional tennis is inherently brutal. Without extraordinary effort and willpower, winning a Grand Slam is impossible. Given Rublev’s current competitiveness, he indeed needs this kind of grueling training to rapidly enhance his mental toughness and willpower."

But some believe that high-intensity tennis training increases players' risk of injury, and once training reaches physical limits, it could be counterproductive.

Moving on, today former world No.1 Svitolina reflected on this year’s year-end finals, evaluated her performance, and analyzed the current competitive situation in women’s tennis.

“The playing level has become noticeably even,” Svitolina said when discussing the upcoming WTA Finals. “Any one of us could win the tournament.”

She pointed out the shocking pace of technical progress: “If I had served at 185 km/h three years ago, it would have changed everything. But now I can really serve that fast, and other players can reach 195 km/h.”

She believes the whole tennis scene is advancing rapidly, not just in serve speed but also in movement, tactical variety, and mental strength.

“We’ve played many intense matches; some players prefer certain conditions, others feel better at different times in the season... But overall, I think we are all improving quickly,” Svitolina added.

This progress makes Grand Slam outcomes harder to predict, with any top player capable of breaking through and winning under the right conditions.

Regarding next year’s Australian Open, Svitolina took a more pragmatic stance: “I won’t set such a goal. Of course, it’s my dream and something I hope to achieve one day.”

She understands that winning a Grand Slam today requires top skills, excellent form, and some luck. “I know I have to win seven matches, and Grand Slams last two weeks, so anything can happen.”

She plans to adopt a “step-by-step” approach, focusing on pre-season preparation rather than locking in specific results too early.

A tennis fan wrote, “Svitolina is right; looking at WTA matches now, anyone in the top ten winning is not surprising, the level is truly close.” Another added, “Women serving at 195 km/h? That was unimaginable a few years ago.”

What will become of the partnership between Rublev and Safin? And how do you view the “everyone has a chance” competitive environment described by Svitolina? Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Lu Xiaotian)