Introduction
Roman Rishatovich Safiullin (born 7 August 1997) is a Russian professional tennis player. Safiullin has a career high ATP singles ranking of world No. 36 achieved on 8 January 2024, and in doubles of world No. 239 achieved on 7 February 2022.
Personal life
Safiullin was born in Podolsk, Russia, to a Tatar father Rishat Safiullin and Russian mother.
Juniors
On the junior tour, Safiullin has a career high combined ranking of No. 2 achieved on 26 May 2014. He is a junior Major champion, having won the 2015 Australian Open over Hong Seong-chan. His biggest junior title, after his Australian Open title, is the Grade A Trofeo Bonfiglio where he beat Andrey Rublev in the final.
Career
2020: First Challenger titles in singles and doubles , top 200 debut
Safiullin claimed his first Challenger tour titles in singles and doubles with Pavel Kotov in Cherbourg, France in February 2020.
2021: Grand Slam debut
He made his Grand Slam debut at the 2021 Australian Open after qualifying and reached the second round by defeating Ilya Ivashka. He also qualified for the 2021 French Open reaching also the second round with a win over Carlos Taberner. As a result, he reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 156 on 14 June 2021.
2022: ATP Cup & semifinals, first ATP semifinal & top 10 win, top 100
On his debut, he reached the semifinals at the 2022 ATP Cup after winning 2 singles and 3 doubles matches with teammate Daniil Medvedev. As a result, he moved 21 positions up in the rankings to a new career-high in the top 150 in singles of World No. 146 on 10 January 2022.
At the 2022 Australian Open, he qualified as lucky loser after the withdrawal of Casper Ruud where he lost to Alex Molčan.
Safiullin qualified for Marseilles after beating Ernests Gulbis and Julian Lenz. After qualifying, he beat 7th seed Alexei Popyrin and fellow qualifier Tomáš Macháč to reach his first ATP Tour-level quarterfinal. There, he claimed his first top-10 win by beating top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets, for the best win in his career, to reach his first semifinal on the ATP Tour. He lost to Félix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets with two tiebreaks.
In July, he won his second Challenger title in Nur Sultan. As a result, he reached a new career-high ranking in the top 120 at world No. 119. He then won a third Challenger title in Chicago, propelling him 25 positions up to a top 100 debut at world No. 97 on 15 August 2022.
In September, Safiullin reached the second semifinal of the season in Tel Aviv, where he lost in straight sets to top seed Novak Djokovic. As a result, he reached a new career-high ranking of world No. 92 on 3 October 2022.
2023: Masters debuts, Major quarterfinal, first ATP final, first top-5 win, top 40
He reached a new career-high ranking of No. 82 on 6 February 2023 after he clinched his first ATP Challenger Tour title of the year at the 2023 Koblenz Open. He won four three-set matches before defeating Vasek Pospisil in the final.
He made his Masters 1000 debut at the 2023 BNP Paribas Open but lost to Ilya Ivashka. He qualified for his second Masters at the 2023 Miami Open but also lost in the first round to Grégoire Barrère.
On clay, he qualified for his third Masters at the 2023 Mutua Madrid Open and on his debut at this tournament, reached the third round for the first time in his career at a Masters level defeating Nicolás Jarry and upsetting 14th seed Tommy Paul. He qualified for his next Masters 1000 at the Italian Open and also on his debut reached the third round, defeating two Americans, Marcos Giron and upsetting 22nd seed Sebastian Korda before losing to Australian Alexei Popyrin.
At the 2023 Wimbledon Championships he defeated 20th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, Corentin Moutet, Guido Pella and 26th seed Denis Shapovalov to reach the quarterfinals of a Major for the first time. He became just the 12th man to reach the quarterfinals on his Wimbledon main draw debut. As a result, he moved into the top 50 rising close to 50 positions up in the rankings. In the quarterfinal match, eighth seed Jannik Sinner proved too strong.
At the 2023 Chengdu Open he reached the semifinals defeating Brandon Nakashima, fourth seed Dan Evans and Jordan Thompson by retirement. He defeated second seed Lorenzo Musetti to reach his first final at ATP tour level. He lost to top seed Alexander Zverev in three sets.
At the 2023 Rolex Shanghai Masters he reached the third round upsetting this time ninth seed Alexander Zverev, his second career top-10 win. At the next Masters in Paris where he qualified on his debut at this tournament, he upset world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the second round in straight sets for the biggest win in his career. He improved to 3-6 against the Top 10 with this win. As a result he reached the top 40 in the rankings on 6 November 2023.
Performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
Current as of 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters.
| Tournament | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||
| Australian Open | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 4 | 1–4 | 20% |
| French Open | Q2 | 2R | Q1 | A | 1R | 0 / 2 | 1–2 | 33% |
| Wimbledon | NH | Q2 | A | QF | 0 / 1 | 4–1 | 80% | |
| US Open | A | A | Q1 | 2R | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | 50% | |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 5–3 | 0–2 | 0 / 8 | 7–8 | 47% |
| ATP Tour Masters 1000 | ||||||||
| Indian Wells | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | 0 / 2 | 1–2 | 33% |
| Miami Open | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | 0 / 2 | 1–2 | 33% |
| Monte-Carlo Masters | A | A | A | Q1 | 2R | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | 50% |
| Madrid Open | A | A | A | 3R | 0 / 1 | 2–1 | 67% | |
| Italian Open | A | A | A | 3R | 0 / 1 | 2–1 | 67% | |
| Canadian Open | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |
| Cincinnati Open | A | A | A | 1R | 0 / 1 | 0–1 | 0% | |
| Shanghai Masters | A | A | A | 3R | 0 / 1 | 2–1 | 67% | |
| Paris Masters | A | A | A | 3R | 0 / 1 | 2–1 | 67% | |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 8–7 | 3–3 | 0 / 10 | 11–10 | 52% |
ATP Career finals
Singles: 1 (1 runner-up)
| Titles by setting |
|---|
| Legend |
| Grand Slam tournaments (0–0) |
| ATP Tour Finals (0–0) |
| ATP Tour Masters 1000 (0–0) |
| ATP Tour 500 Series (0–0) |
| ATP Tour 250 Series (0–1) |
| Titles by surface |
| Hard (0–1) |
| Clay (0–0) |
| Grass (0–0) |
| Titles by setting |
| Outdoor (0–1) |
| Indoor (0–0) |
| Grand Slam tournaments (0–0) |
| ATP Tour Finals (0–0) |
| ATP Tour Masters 1000 (0–0) |
| ATP Tour 500 Series (0–0) |
| ATP Tour 250 Series (0–1) |
| Hard (0–1) |
| Clay (0–0) |
| Grass (0–0) |
| Outdoor (0–1) |
| Indoor (0–0) |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | Sep 2023 | Chengdu Open, China | 250 Series | Hard | Alexander Zverev | 7–6, 6–7, 3–6 |
Junior Grand Slam finals
Singles: 1 (1 title)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2015 | Australian Open | Hard | Hong Seong-chan | 7–5, 7–6 |
Other finals
Challenger and Futures/World Tennis tour finals
Singles: 29 (23 titles, 6 runner-ups)
| Titles by surface |
|---|
| Legend (singles) |
| ATP Challenger tour (4–0) |
| ITF Futures tour (19–6) |
| Titles by surface |
| Hard (20–5) |
| Clay (3–1) |
| Grass (0–0) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
| ATP Challenger tour (4–0) |
| ITF Futures tour (19–6) |
| Hard (20–5) |
| Clay (3–1) |
| Grass (0–0) |
| Carpet (0–0) |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | Apr 2014 | Uzbekistan F1, Qarshi | Futures | Hard | Temur Ismailov | 2–6, 7–5, 6–1 | |
| Loss | Aug 2014 | Russia F5, Kazan | Futures | Clay | Anton Zaytsev | 3–6, 4–6 | |
| Win | Aug 2014 | Russia F6, Kazan | Futures | Clay | Richard Muzaev | 6–1, 4–6, 6–1 | |
| Win | Nov 2014 | Greece F11, Heraklion | Futures | Hard | Ivan Bjelica | 6–0, 3–6, 6–3 | |
| Win | Nov 2014 | Greece F12, Heraklion | Futures | Hard | Denis Bejtulahi | 4–6, 7–6, 6–4 | |
| Win | Nov 2014 | Turkey F42, Antalya | Futures | Hard | Denys Mylokostov | 7–6, 6–3 | |
| Win | Dec 2014 | Turkey F43, Antalya | Futures | Hard | Frederico Ferreira Silva | 6–1, 1–2 ret. | |
| Loss | Feb 2016 | Turkey F5, Antalya | Futures | Hard | Hong Seong-chan | 2–6, 5–7 | |
| Win | Feb 2016 | Turkey F8, Antalya | Futures | Hard | Dimitar Kuzmanov | 3–6, 7–5, 7–5 | |
| Win | Aug 2016 | Egypt F21, Sharm El Sheikh | Futures | Hard | Michal Konečný | 6–2, 6–1 | |
| Loss | Sep 2016 | Egypt F23, Sharm El Sheikh | Futures | Hard | Anis Ghorbel | 7–5, 2–6, 6–7 | |
| Win | Oct 2016 | Israel F14, Meitar | Futures | Hard | Daniel Cukierman | 6–0, 6–4 | |
| Win | Oct 2016 | Egypt F30, Sharm El Sheikh | Futures | Hard | Pablo Vivero González | 6–2, 7–6 | |
| Loss | Nov 2016 | Egypt F32, Sharm El Sheikh | Futures | Hard | Michal Schmid | 3–6, 6–0, 6–7 | |
| Win | Nov 2017 | Egypt F34, Sharm El Sheikh | Futures | Hard | Cem İlkel | 7–5, 7–6 | |
| Win | Mar 2018 | Russia F3, Kazan | Futures | Hard (i) | Jurabek Karimov | 6–2, 6–1 | |
| Win | Mar 2018 | Egypt F10, Sharm El Sheikh | Futures | Hard | Jaroslav Pospíšil | 6–1, 6–1 | |
| Loss | Jun 2018 | Uzbelistan F4, Namangan | Futures | Hard | Cem İlkel | 1–6, 6–7 | |
| Win | Oct 2018 | Vietnam F4, Tây Ninh | Futures | Hard | Lý Hoàng Nam | 7–6, 6–4 | |
| Win | Nov 2018 | Vietnam F5, Tây Ninh | Futures | Hard | Lý Hoàng Nam | 7–6, 6–4 | |
| Win | Nov 2018 | Thailand F8, Nonthaburi | Futures | Hard | Sanjar Fayziev | 7–5, 4–6, 6–4 | |
| Win | Mar 2019 | M25 Kazan, Russia | World Tennis Tour | Hard (i) | Sanjar Fayziev | 6–3, 1–6, 6–4 | |
| Win | Apr 2019 | M25 Shymkent, Kazakhstan | World Tennis Tour | Clay | Alen Avidzba | 7–6, 6–2 | |
| Win | Apr 2019 | M25 Shymkent, Kazakhstan | World Tennis Tour | Clay | Vladyslav Manafov | 7–5, 6–3 | |
| Loss | May 2019 | M25 Namangan, Uzbekistan | World Tennis Tour | Hard | Tim van Rijthoven | 7–6, 5–7, 4–6 | |
| Win | Feb 2020 | Cherbourg, France | Challenger | Hard (i) | Roberto Marcora | 6–4, 6–2 | |
| Win | Jul 2022 | Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan | Challenger | Hard | Denis Yevseyev | 2–6, 6–4, 7–6 | |
| Win | Aug 2022 | Chicago, USA | Challenger | Hard | Ben Shelton | 6–3, 4–6, 7–5 | |
| Win | Feb 2023 | Koblenz, Germany | Challenger | Hard (i) | Vasek Pospisil | 6–2, 7–5 |
Doubles: 11 (4 titles, 7 runners-up)
| Legend |
|---|
| Challengers (1–0) |
| Futures (3–7) |
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | Aug 2014 | Kazan, Russia | Futures | Clay | Marin Bradarić | Ilia Shatskiy Alexander Zhurbin | 5–7, 1–6 | |
| Loss | Aug 2014 | Kazan, Russia | Futures | Clay | Alexander Bublik | Andrei Levine Anton Zaytsev | 1–6, 3–6 | |
| Win | Mar 2016 | Hammamet, Tunisia | Futures | Clay | Lenny Hampel | Ivan Nedelko Henrik Sillanpää | 6–1, 6–3 | |
| Loss | Aug 2016 | Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt | Futures | Hard | Michal Konečný | Pedro Bernardi Christopher Díaz Figueroa | 6–7, 7–6, [7–10] | |
| Loss | Mar 2018 | Kazan, Russia | Futures | Hard (i) | Teymuraz Gabashvili | Alexander Pavlioutchenkov Evgenii Tiurnev | 4–6, 6–3, [6–10] | |
| Win | Apr 2018 | Qarshi, Uzbekistan | Futures | Hard | Konstantin Kravchuk | Saketh Myneni Vijay Sundar Prashanth | 3–6, 7–5, [10–7] | |
| Loss | Jun 2018 | Andijan, Uzbekistan | Futures | Hard | Konstantin Kravchuk | Sergey Betov Yaraslav Shyla | 4–6, 6–7 | |
| Loss | Jun 2018 | Namangan, Uzbekistan | Futures | Hard | Konstantin Kravchuk | Sanjar Fayziev Khumoyun Sultanov | 6–7, 7–5, [8–10] | |
| Loss | Nov 2018 | Tây Ninh, Vietnam | Futures | Hard | Lý Hoàng Nam | Francis Alcantara Markus Eriksson | 7–5, 4–6, [7–10] | |
| Win | May 2019 | Namangan M25, Uzbekistan | World Tennis Tour | Hard | Evgenii Tiurnev | Sanjar Fayziev Khumoyun Sultanov | 7–6, 6–3 | |
| Win | Feb 2020 | Cherbourg, France | Challenger | Hard (i) | Pavel Kotov | Dan Added Albano Olivetti | 7–6, 5–7, [12–10] |
Record against other players
Record against top 10 players
Safiullin's record against players who have been ranked in the top 10, with those who are active in boldface. Only ATP Tour main draw matches are considered:
| Player | Record | Win % | Hard | Clay | Grass | Last Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number 1 ranked players | ||||||
| Carlos Alcaraz | 1–0 | 100% | 1–0 | – | – | Won (6–3, 6–4) at 2023 Paris |
| Andy Murray | 1–1 | 50% | 1–1 | – | – | Won (6–3, 6–2) at 2023 Shanghai |
| Novak Djokovic | 0–2 | 0% | 0–1 | 0–1 | – | Lost (1–6, 2–6) at 2024 Monte Carlo |
| Number 2 ranked players | ||||||
| Alexander Zverev | 1–2 | 33% | 1–1 | 0–1 | – | Won (6–3, 6–1) at 2023 Shanghai |
| Jannik Sinner | 0–2 | 0% | 0–1 | – | 0–1 | Lost (4–6, 6–3, 2–6, 2–6) at 2023 Wimbledon |
| Number 3 ranked players | ||||||
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | 1–1 | 50% | 1–1 | – | – | Lost (3–6, 4–6) at 2024 Acapulco |
| Number 4 ranked players | ||||||
| Holger Rune | 0–2 | 0% | 0–2 | – | – | Lost (4–6, 6–2, 1–6) at 2024 Rotterdam |
| Number 6 ranked players | ||||||
| Félix Auger-Aliassime | 0–1 | 0% | 0–1 | – | – | Lost (6–7, 6–7) at 2022 Marseille |
| Number 8 ranked players | ||||||
| Diego Schwartzman | 1–0 | 100% | 1–0 | – | – | Won (6–2, 6–4) at 2024 Miami |
| Karen Khachanov | 0–1 | 0% | 0–1 | – | – | Lost (4–6, 4–6) at 2023 Vienna |
| Cameron Norrie | 0–1 | 0% | 0–1 | – | – | Lost (6–3, 5–7, 3–6, 6–7) at 2021 Australian Open |
| Number 9 ranked players | ||||||
| Roberto Bautista Agut | 1–0 | 100% | – | – | 1–0 | Won (2–6, 7–6, 6–7, 6–4, 7–5) at 2023 Wimbledon |
| Number 10 ranked players | ||||||
| Denis Shapovalov | 1–2 | 33% | 0–2 | – | 1–0 | Won (3–6, 6–3, 6–1, 6–3) at 2023 Wimbledon |
| Total | 7–15 | 32% | 5–12 | 0–2 | 2–1 | * Statistics correct as of 9 April 2024 |
Wins over top 10 players
- He has a 3–8 (27.3%) record against players who were, at the time the match was played, ranked in the top 10.
| Season | 2022 | 2023 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wins | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| # | Player | Rank | Event | Surface | Rd | Score | RSR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | |||||||
| 1. | Stefanos Tsitsipas | 4 | Open 13 Provence, France | Hard (i) | QF | 6–4, 6–4 | 163 |
| 2023 | |||||||
| 2. | Alexander Zverev | 10 | Shanghai Masters, China | Hard | 2R | 6–3, 6–1 | 50 |
| 3. | Carlos Alcaraz | 2 | Paris Masters, France | Hard (i) | 2R | 6–3, 6–4 | 45 |
Awards
- The Russian Cup in the nominations:
- Team of the Year — Boys Under-16: 2013.
- Junior of the Year: 2015.