Andrey Rublev had a very mixed season and will be hoping to return to his previous heights in 2026.
Rublev is a former world number five and has won 17 ATP titles in his career, but he was unable to compete at the same level in 2025.
Despite winning his 17th title at the Qatar Open, Rublev faced some struggles which included going on a five-match losing streak.
As a result, Rublev fell to his lowest ranking in five years and is now looking to return to the top 10 in 2026.
With Rublev looking to improve on his 2025 season, he has now been given some advice by former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash.

Pat Cash tells Andrey Rublev that he could learn from Alex de Minaur
Although he is a former world number five and two-time Masters 1000 champion, Rublev has never surpassed the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam tournament.
Rublev has lost all 10 Grand Slam quarterfinals he has played, and Cash believes that he could take some inspiration from world number six Alex de Minaur, despite the Australian also losing six major quarterfinals as well.
“He’s a great ball striker and has had some great results, but he is one of those players who is looking to make a breakthrough at the very top,” Cash said about Rublev when speaking to Tennis365. “He has been to so many quarterfinals in the Slams and he needs to find a way to get over that hurdle.
“It feels like he is a lucent volleyer, but he doesn’t need to be in my view. I look at Alex de Minaur and the way he has developed his game and maybe Rublev could learn from him. Alex is a great mover, he has added more to his game in recent years and you can see where he is in the rankings now.
“That’s the kind of player Rublev could look to and try to add some layers to his game, but you look at De Minaur and he is also struggling to get past quarterfinals in the Slams.
“We look at the top players and they make it easy to get to the latter stages of all the big tournaments, but it’s not easy and Rublev and De Minaur confirm that.”
How do Andrey Rublev and Alex de Minaur’s careers compare?
After Cash gave his advice to Rublev, there are actually many comparisons to be made between his and De Minaur’s careers.
Both players have been inside the top 10 of the world rankings, have won double-digit number of titles and have reached multiple Grand Slam quarterfinals.
Perhaps the biggest difference between the two is that De Minaur is at the peak of his career right now, while Rublev is looking to build his way back up.
| Andrey Rublev | Alex de Minaur | |
| Career-high ranking | No.5 | No.6 |
| Number of titles won | 17 | 10 |
| Best Grand Slam Result | Quarterfinal (x10) | Quarterfinal (x6) |
| Best Grand Slam result in 2025 | Fourth Round (x3) | Quarterfinal (x2) |
Rublev has made a positive start to his 2026 season, fighting back from a set down to beat Yibing Wu at the Hong Kong Open.
The world number 16 is a former champion in Hong Kong, and Rublev will look to move closer to the title when he takes on Nuno Borges in the quarterfinals.
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