"I tried to play smart, but that's not my game!"

One of many pearls from the mouth of Marat Safin. More than 10 years since leaving the circuit, the Russian is still a regular news maker. He is certainly unique, a free spirit from a different mould who lit up the world's courts for over a decade. Funny, unpredictable, tortured, but also excessively gifted, he clearly could have accomplished much more, in spite of his 15 titles, including two Grand Slam trophies, and several weeks at the top of the world rankings in late 2000. Yet, he acknowledged it himself: "I never won Roland-Garros because I was stupid," he declared recently, recalling his best chance in 2002, when he lost his semifinal match to Ferrero, "because I fell apart! " Yes, he was sometimes temperamental on the courts, but he was more than that. Safin was, after all, an incredible player with undeniable charisma who, at the 2005 Australian Open, put an end to the invincibility of Roger Federer in the semifinals on his way to his fourth Grand Slam title.  A true artist!

Current projects

Politics, captain of the Russian men's team