Paris - Tennis will bid farewell to one of the greatest stars of the game's recent history this week when Russian former world number one Marat Safin takes his final bow at the ATP Paris Masters.
The 29-year-old has decided to call time on a glittering career in which he won the 2000 US Open and the 2005 Australian Open while inspiring his country to Davis Cup glory in 2002 and 2006.
"It's beautiful what people see on TV, when you're on the court, and there are all those people in the stadium," said the charismatic Safin, whose younger sister Dinara Safina is the women's world number two.
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"But nobody sees the other side of it, when you have to do the massages, when you have to practise, when you have to do a lot of things. I haven't been able to do a lot of the things I want to do.
| 'I haven't been able to do a lot of the things I want to do' |
"Also, after a certain time, you live in a state of what feels almost like continuous stress. I want to get out of it, just so that I'm able to breathe."
Safin is the co-holder of the record for most Paris Masters victories with three, alongside Boris Becker, and it's at the Bercy arena that the temperamental Russian has experienced some of the finest moments of his career.
In 2000, at the age of 20, he followed up his maiden Grand Slam win at the US Open by beating Australia's Mark Philippoussis in a 10-8 fifth-set tie-break after a marathon three-and-a-half-hour encounter.
Two years later he gave then world number one Lleyton Hewitt a lesson by beating him in three sets, while in 2004 he marked his return after a long injury lay-off by defeating Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic in the final.
The organisers of the event have promised to give Safin a fitting send-off by honouring him after his final match in the competition.
"The triple-winner of the tournament will be handed a trophy representing the keys to the Bercy arena during a little ceremony," said tournament organisers last week.
The Parisian public will also use the tournament to say good-bye to home favourite Fabrice Santoro, with the 36-year-old darling of French tennis also set to retire from the sport at the end of the year.
The innovative double-hander tasted Paris Masters glory by winning the doubles title alongside Nicolas Escude in 2002 and also made it to the final of the doubles competition in 2003 and 2006.
Santoro famously enjoys a tremendous record against Safin, having beaten him seven times in nine encounters, but they have been drawn in opposite sides of the draw and will have to reproduce their best form of yesteryear to engineer one final meeting. - Sapa-AFP
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