| Native name | Роман Ришатович Сафиуллин |
|---|---|
| Residence | Podolsk, Russia |
| Birth date | 7 August 1997 (age 29) |
| Birth place | Podolsk, Russia |
| Height | 1.85 m |
| Turnedpro | 2015 |
| Plays | Right-handed (two-handed backhand) |
| Careerprizemoney | US$ 4,000,757 |
| Singlestitles | 0 |
| Highestsinglesranking | No. 36 (8 January 2024) |
| Currentsinglesranking | No. 144 (4 May 2026) |
| Australianopenresult | 2R (2021) |
| Frenchopenresult | 2R (2021) |
| Wimbledonresult | QF (2023) |
| Usopenresult | 2R (2023, 2024, 2025) |
| Othertournaments | yes |
| Olympicsresult | 3R (2024) |
| Doublestitles | 0 |
| Highestdoublesranking | No. 151 (19 August 2024) |
| Australianopendoublesresult | 1R (2024, 2025) |
| Frenchopendoublesresult | 2R (2024) |
| Usopendoublesresult | 2R (2023) |
| Othertournamentsdoubles | yes |
| Olympicsdoublesresult | 1R (2024) |
| Medaltemplates-expand | yes |
| Updated | 2 May 2026 |
Roman Rishatovich Safiullin[a] (born 7 August 1997) is a Russian professional tennis player. He has a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 36, achieved on 8 January 2024 and a best doubles ranking of No. 151, achieved on 19 August 2024.[1]
Career
2014-2015: Juniors
On the junior circuit, Safiullin reached an ITF combined ranking of world No. 2 on 26 May 2014. He is a Grand Slam Junior champion, having won the 2015 Australian Open over Hong Seong-chan.[2] His biggest junior title, after his Australian Open title, is the Grade A Trofeo Bonfiglio where he beat Andrey Rublev in the final.[3]
2020: First Challenger titles in singles & doubles, top 200
Safiullin claimed his first Challenger tour titles in singles and doubles with Pavel Kotov in Cherbourg, France in February 2020.[4]
2021: Grand Slam debut
Safiullin 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.[5] As a result, he reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 156 on 14 June 2021.[6]
2022: ATP Cup and ATP Tour semifinals, 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.[7] 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.[8][6]
At the 2022 Australian Open, he qualified as lucky loser after the withdrawal of Casper Ruud where he lost to Alex Molčan.[9][10]
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.[11][12] He lost to Félix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets with two tiebreaks.[13]
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.[14] 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.[15]
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.[16]
2023-2024: Major quarterfinal, ATP final & top 5 win, top 50
Safiullin reached a new best singles ranking of world 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.[17]
Safiullin 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.[18] 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.[19]
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.[20] As a result, he moved into the top 50 rising close to 50 positions up in the rankings.[21][22] 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[23] and Jordan Thompson by retirement.[24] He defeated second seed Lorenzo Musetti to reach his first final at ATP tour level.[25] He lost to top seed Alexander Zverev in three sets.[26]
At the 2023 Rolex Shanghai Masters he reached the third round upsetting this time ninth seed Alexander Zverev, his second career top-10 win.[27] At the next Masters in Paris where he qualified on his debut at this tournament,[28] he upset world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the second round in straight sets for the biggest win in his career.[29] 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.[30][31] At the 2024 Rolex Shanghai Masters, Safiullin went one step further and reached the fourth round for the first time at the 1000-level, with upsets over 23rd seed Alexander Bublik and 13th seed Frances Tiafoe.[32]
Personal life
Safiullin was born in Podolsk, Russia, to a Tatar father Rishat Safiullin[33][34] and Russian mother.[35]
Performance timelines
Current as of 2025 US Open.
| Tournament | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | |||||||||
| Australian Open | A | 2R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 5 | 1–5 | |
| French Open | Q2 | 2R | Q1 | A | 1R | 1R | 0 / 3 | 1–3 | |
| Wimbledon | NH | Q2 | A[b] | QF | 3R | 1R | 0 / 2 | 6–3 | |
| US Open | A | A | Q1 | 2R | 2R | 2R | 0 / 2 | 3–3 | |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 5–3 | 3–4 | 1–4 | 0 / 12 | 11–14 | |
| ATP Tour Masters 1000 | |||||||||
| Indian Wells | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | 2R | 0 / 3 | 2–3 | |
| Miami Open | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | 3R | 0 / 3 | 3–3 | |
| Monte-Carlo Masters | A | A | A | Q1 | 2R | A | 0 / 1 | 1–1 | |
| Madrid Open | A | A | A | 3R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 3 | 2–3 | |
| Italian Open | A | A | A | 3R | 1R | 1R | 0 / 3 | 2–3 | |
| Canadian Open | A | A | A | A | 1R | 2R | 0 / 2 | 1–2 | |
| Cincinnati Open | A | A | A | 1R | A | 2R | 0 / 2 | 1–2 | |
| Shanghai Masters | NH | 3R | 4R | A | 0 / 2 | 5–2 | |||
| Paris Masters | A | A | A | 3R | A | A | 0 / 1 | 2–1 | |
| Win–loss | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 8–7 | 6–7 | 5–6 | 0 / 20 | 19–20 | |
ATP Tour finals
Singles: 1 (runner-up)
|
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Sep 2023 | Chengdu Open, China | ATP 250 | Hard | Alexander Zverev | 7–6(7–2), 6–7(5–7), 3–6 |
ATP Challenger Tour finals
Singles: 8 (8 titles)
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Feb 2020 | Challenger La Manche, France | Challenger | Hard (i) | Roberto Marcora | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Win | 2–0 | Jul 2022 | President's Cup, Kazakhstan | Challenger | Hard | Denis Yevseyev | 2–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–2) |
| Win | 3–0 | Aug 2022 | Chicago Men's Challenger, US | Challenger | Hard | Ben Shelton | 6–3, 4–6, 7–5 |
| Win | 4–0 | Feb 2023 | Koblenz Open, Germany | Challenger | Hard (i) | Vasek Pospisil | 6–2, 7–5 |
| Win | 5–0 | Aug 2024 | Cary Tennis Classic, US | Challenger | Hard | Mattia Bellucci | 1–6, 7–5, 7–5 |
| Win | 6–0 | Oct 2024 | Slovak Open, Slovakia | Challenger | Hard (i) | Raphaël Collignon | 6–3, 6–4 |
| Win | 7–0 | Apr 2026 | Open de Oeiras, Portugal | Challenger | Clay | Valentin Royer | 6–1, 6–2 |
| Win | 8–0 | May 2026 | Danube Upper Austria Open, Austria | Challenger | Clay | Jaime Faria | 4–6, 6–4, 7–6(7–4) |
Doubles: 1 (title)
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Feb 2020 | Challenger La Manche, France | Challenger | Hard (i) | Pavel Kotov | Dan Added Albano Olivetti | 7–6(8–6), 5–7, [12–10] |
ITF Tour finals
Singles: 25 (19 titles, 6 runner-ups)
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1–0 | Apr 2014 | Uzbekistan F1, Qarshi | Futures | Hard | Temur Ismailov | 2–6, 7–5, 6–1 |
| Loss | 1–1 | Aug 2014 | Russia F5, Kazan | Futures | Clay | Anton Zaytsev | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 2–1 | Aug 2014 | Russia F6, Kazan | Futures | Clay | Richard Muzaev | 6–1, 4–6, 6–1 |
| Win | 3–1 | Nov 2014 | Greece F11, Heraklion | Futures | Hard | Ivan Bjelica | 6–0, 3–6, 6–3 |
| Win | 4–1 | Nov 2014 | Greece F12, Heraklion | Futures | Hard | Denis Bejtulahi | 4–6, 7–6(7–2), 6–4 |
| Win | 5–1 | Nov 2014 | Turkey F42, Antalya | Futures | Hard | Denys Mylokostov | 7–6(9–7), 6–3 |
| Win | 6–1 | Dec 2014 | Turkey F43, Antalya | Futures | Hard | Frederico Ferreira Silva | 6–1, 1–2 ret. |
| Loss | 6–2 | Feb 2016 | Turkey F5, Antalya | Futures | Hard | Hong Seong-chan | 2–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 7–2 | Feb 2016 | Turkey F8, Antalya | Futures | Hard | Dimitar Kuzmanov | 3–6, 7–5, 7–5 |
| Win | 8–2 | Aug 2016 | Egypt F21, Sharm El Sheikh | Futures | Hard | Michal Konečný | 6–2, 6–1 |
| Loss | 8–3 | Sep 2016 | Egypt F23, Sharm El Sheikh | Futures | Hard | Anis Ghorbel | 7–5, 2–6, 6–7(4–7) |
| Win | 9–3 | Oct 2016 | Israel F14, Meitar | Futures | Hard | Daniel Cukierman | 6–0, 6–4 |
| Win | 10–3 | Oct 2016 | Egypt F30, Sharm El Sheikh | Futures | Hard | Pablo Vivero González | 6–2, 7–6(7–5) |
| Loss | 10–4 | Nov 2016 | Egypt F32, Sharm El Sheikh | Futures | Hard | Michal Schmid | 3–6, 6–0, 6–7(5–7) |
| Win | 11–4 | Nov 2017 | Egypt F34, Sharm El Sheikh | Futures | Hard | Cem İlkel | 7–5, 7–6(7–3) |
| Win | 12–4 | Mar 2018 | Russia F3, Kazan | Futures | Hard (i) | Jurabek Karimov | 6–2, 6–1 |
| Win | 13–4 | Mar 2018 | Egypt F10, Sharm El Sheikh | Futures | Hard | Jaroslav Pospíšil | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Loss | 13–5 | Jun 2018 | Uzbekistan F4, Namangan | Futures | Hard | Cem İlkel | 1–6, 6–7(12–14) |
| Win | 14–5 | Oct 2018 | Vietnam F4, Tây Ninh | Futures | Hard | Lý Hoàng Nam | 7–6(9–7), 6–4 |
| Win | 15–5 | Nov 2018 | Vietnam F5, Tây Ninh | Futures | Hard | Lý Hoàng Nam | 7–6(7–5), 6–4 |
| Win | 16–5 | Nov 2018 | Thailand F8, Nonthaburi | Futures | Hard | Sanjar Fayziev | 7–5, 4–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 17–5 | Mar 2019 | M25 Kazan, Russia | WTT | Hard (i) | Sanjar Fayziev | 6–3, 1–6, 6–4 |
| Win | 18–5 | Apr 2019 | M25 Shymkent, Kazakhstan | WTT | Clay | Alen Avidzba | 7–6(7–2), 6–2 |
| Win | 19–5 | Apr 2019 | M25 Shymkent, Kazakhstan | WTT | Clay | Vladyslav Manafov | 7–5, 6–3 |
| Loss | 19–6 | May 2019 | M25 Namangan, Uzbekistan | WTT | Hard | Tim van Rijthoven | 7–6(7–5), 5–7, 4–6 |
Doubles: 10 (3 titles, 7 runner-ups)
|
|
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Tier | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Aug 2014 | Russia, Kazan | Futures | Clay | Marin Bradarić | Ilia Shatskiy Alexander Zhurbin | 5–7, 1–6 |
| Loss | 0–2 | Aug 2014 | Russia, Kazan | Futures | Clay | Alexander Bublik | Andrey Levine Anton Zaytsev | 1–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 1–2 | Mar 2016 | Tunisia, Hammamet | Futures | Clay | Lenny Hampel | Ivan Nedelko Henrik Sillanpää | 6–1, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1–3 | Aug 2016 | Egypt, Sharm El Sheikh | Futures | Hard | Michal Konečný | Pedro Bernardi Christopher Díaz Figueroa | 6–7(4–7), 7–6(7–2), [7–10] |
| Loss | 1–4 | Mar 2018 | Russia, Kazan | Futures | Hard (i) | Teymuraz Gabashvili | Alexander Pavlioutchenkov Evgenii Tiurnev | 4–6, 6–3, [6–10] |
| Win | 2–4 | Apr 2018 | Uzbekistan, Qarshi | Futures | Hard | Konstantin Kravchuk | Saketh Myneni Vijay Sundar Prashanth | 3–6, 7–5, [10–7] |
| Loss | 2–5 | Jun 2018 | Uzbekistan, Andijan | Futures | Hard | Konstantin Kravchuk | Sergey Betov Yaraslav Shyla | 4–6, 6–7(2–7) |
| Loss | 2–6 | Jun 2018 | Uzbekistan, Namangan | Futures | Hard | Konstantin Kravchuk | Sanjar Fayziev Khumoyun Sultanov | 6–7(6–8), 7–5, [8–10] |
| Loss | 2–7 | Nov 2018 | Vietnam, Tây Ninh | Futures | Hard | Lý Hoàng Nam | Francis Alcantara Markus Eriksson | 7–5, 4–6, [7–10] |
| Win | 3–7 | May 2019 | M25 Namangan, Uzbekistan | WTT | Hard | Evgenii Tiurnev | Sanjar Fayziev Khumoyun Sultanov | 7–6(7–5), 6–3 |
Wins over top 10 players
- Safiullin has a 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 |
- *As of 31 October 2023
Junior Grand Slam finals
Singles: 1 (title)
| Result | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2015 | Australian Open | Hard | Hong Seong-chan | 7–5, 7–6(7–2) |
Awards
- The Russian Cup in the nominations:
Notes
- ^ Russian: Роман Ришатович Сафиуллин; tt-cyrl: Роман Рәшит улы Сафиуллин, Roman Räşit ulı Safiullin.[38]
- ^ Russian athletes were banned from competing following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[39][40]
- ^ (as part of the Team: Roman Safiullin, Evgenii Tiurnev, Andrey Rublev; captain Ivan Pridankin)
References
- ^ "Roman Safiullin". ATP World Tour
- ^ "Safiullin wins boys' title, Mihalikova wins girls' title at Australian Open". Tennis.com. 31 January 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
- ^ "Tennis, Bonfiglio: Vincono Roman Safiullin e Catherine Bellis". 2014.
- ^ "Roman Safiullin Men's Singles Titles". ITF Tennis. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- ^ "Roman Safiullin | Player Activity"
- ^ "Roman Safiullin | Rankings History". ATP Tour
- ^ "Roman Safiullin: Russia's NEW Secret Weapon". ATP Tour
- ^ "How Roman Safiullin Became an Unlikely Hero for Russia at the ATP Cup". 5 January 2022.
- ^ "Casper Ruud pulls out of Australian Open 2022, eyes return in the next couple of weeks » FirstSportz". 18 January 2022.
- ^ "Fans praise Open star's classy act of sportsmanship". 19 January 2022.
- ^ "Qualifier Roman Safiullin Stuns Stefanos Tsitsipas in Open 13 Provence Marseille". ATP Tour
- ^ "'The best win of my career' – Safiullin knocks out Tsitsipas to reach Marseille semi-final". 18 February 2022.
- ^ "Felix Auger-Aliassime Keeps Run Rolling, Sets Andrey Rublev Final Clash in Open 13 Provence in Marseille"
- ^ "Wu Yibing Surges to Career High After Indianapolis Challenger Title". ATP Tour
- ^ "Casper Ruud Returns to Top 5, Mover of Week". ATP Tour
- ^ "Novak Djokovic Seals Tel Aviv Watergen Open Final Spot"
- ^ "China's Yibing Wu Breaks Top 100, Mover of Week". ATP Tour
- ^ "Lajovic Beats Auger-Aliassime In Madrid | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- ^ "Popyrin roars into fourth round at Italian Open". Tennis Australia. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- ^ "Safiullin knocks out Shapovalov to reach maiden major quarter-finals at Wimbledon". Reuters. 2023-07-09. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
- ^ "Hotel Upgrade for Wimbledon Quarter-finalist Roman Safiullin? No Thanks! | ATP Tour | Tennis". 10 July 2023.
- ^ "Roman Safiullin, trying to be the next Karatsev, earns praise from compatriot Medvedev and opponent Sinner". 11 July 2023.
- ^ "Jordan Thompson, Roman Safiullin Set QF Clash in Chengdu | ATP Tour | Tennis"
- ^ "Lorenzo Musetti Seals SF Spot in Chengdu | ATP Tour | Tennis"
- ^ "Alexander Zverev Beats Grigor Dimitrov, Sets Roman Safiullin Final in Chengdu | ATP Tour | Tennis"
- ^ "Alexander Zverev Rallies Past Roman Safiullin For Chengdu Crown | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ^ "Zhang Zhizhen Makes History In Shanghai, Roman Safiullin Upsets Alexander Zverev | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ^ "Adapt For Carlos Alcaraz: Roman Safiullin's Biggest Test Yet | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ^ "Alcaraz loses to qualifier Safiullin at Paris Masters". ESPN.com. 2023-10-31. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ^ "Roman Safiullin Stuns Carlos Alcaraz In Paris | ATP Tour | Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
- ^ "Safiullin stuns Alcaraz at Paris Masters". Reuters
- ^ "Tiafoe apologises for swearing at umpire in furious rant after loss in Shanghai". Reuters
- ^ «По впечатлению спортсменов в Татарстане построен один из лучших теннисных центров»
- ^ "Татарский теннисист Роман Сафиуллин выступит в основной сетке "Ролан Гаррос"" [Tatar tennis player Roman Safiullin will compete in the main draw of Roland Garros] (in Russian). tatarlar.info. TatarLar. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
Роман Рәшит Улы Сафиуллин
- ^ "Getting To Know Roman Safiullin". 16 January 2023.
- ^ ""Русский Кубок" – почётные призы обрели своих хозяев" [The "Russian Cup" – Honorary Prizes Found Their Owners] (in Russian). GoTennis. 6 November 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
- ^ "ru:«Русский Кубок». Триумф командного тенниса" [The "Russian Cup". Triumph in Team Tennis] (in Russian). Championat.com. 28 November 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
- ^ "Татарский теннисист Роман Сафиуллин выступит в основной сетке "Ролан Гаррос"" [Tatar tennis player Roman Safiullin will compete in the main draw of Roland Garros] (in Russian). tatarlar.info. TatarLar. 27 May 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
Роман Рәшит Улы Сафиуллин
*"Romanizer (from Tatar)". baltoslav.eu. Retrieved 2 January 2022. - ^ "Joint Statement by the International Governing Bodies of Tennis". ATP Tour. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ "Wimbledon bans Russian and Belarusian tennis players including Daniil Medvedev over Ukraine war". Sky News. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022.