Tennis sensation Andrey Rublev says he is looking forward to playing in Hong Kong again, emphasising that having a strong mindset sets the stage for his entire tour.

The World No. 8 player is eager to defend his title at the Hong Kong Tennis Open 2025, which will take place from December 29 to January 5 at Victoria Park.

Rublev said he is excited for the event, adding that the unwavering support of the SAR fans and the welcoming environment boosted his comfort and motivation last year.

"I feel great the atmosphere there last year. There was a lot of people who came from [the mainland] to watch me play and it was nice. It's a bit different compared to Europe audience because in general in Asia, they like to draw some posters," he said.

"They like to draw. Some put something on the face or to wear the flags or to wear some T-shirts with some signs. Last year, I remember there was a lot of people that had a flag with my photo and it was nice."

Rublev exited the 2024 ATP Finals more than a week ago without securing a victory, having been defeated in his last match against Casper Ruud, but he said he is actively enhancing his physical abilities to boost his speed for the upcoming tournaments.

He added that he opts to refrain from setting rigid goals to prevent burnout, and instead focuses on enjoying the sport he loves.

"We're working much more in a bit in a different direction and I start to feel that I'm doing this better, so I just want to keep doing that, to play better at the net because, especially now, there is many matches that somehow can be one or two points different and this one or two points different [is] because I didn't play well at the net and then the other guy, when he went to the net and I tried to pass him he played really well and that was the difference in the most important time and the most important moment of the match," he said.

"Things like that with the serve with the changing a bit of the rhythm, I start to hit better because I start to feel that I'm doing it better. We'll see just to keep doing them because in the end, it's not about preseason. It's a bit like a daily routine.

"You need to do it a bit every day. It doesn't matter if you're in a tournament or not. That's it. It's something that we were doing the last couple of months and it's just now preseason and we have even more time to do it."