Marat Safin to officially end tennis career in Paris

REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

“Paris, that’s where we will make the last tournament…”

Former world number one Marat Safin has decided to officially end his professional tennis career this year and he believes that the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Paris this coming November would be an appropriate venue to do so.

“Paris, that’s where we’ll have to make it the last tournament, a tournament where I play the best tennis and where I won the Davis Cup. So I would love to say bye-bye there,” Safin told the reporters on Tuesday after losing the first round match at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships against French player Richard Gasquet.

He joked that he’d have to make arrangements with players in order for him to win the Paris title.

“Of course, I have to agree with all of the players and make it happen. But unfortunately a lot of people are very ambitious and I don’t think it will happen,” said the three-time Paris Masters titlist.

The Russian has a lustrous tennis career, winning two Grand Slam titles (2000 US Open and 2005 Australian Open). He’s had semifinal finishes in other slam events (2002 French Open and 2008 Wimbledon). He held the number one ranking for nine weeks within the 2000-2001 seasons. Overall, he’s accumulated 15 singles titles.

Safin’s professional and personal affairs have generated interest to both media and fans through the years. He has a younger sister, Dinara Safina, who’s currently the world number 2 tennis player in the women’s tour.

The Russian stated that he’s not yet sure what path to take after his tennis career but already ruled out the possibility of becoming a coach.

“No, no. Playing is one thing and teaching is completely different. It looks simple, but it’s really not. It’s a tough job,” he said.