| |
Marat Safin’s tennis career ended with his defeat to Juan Martin del Potro in the second round of the Paris Masters on Wednesday. Potro registered a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win over the Russian.
The 29-year-old Safin, a two-time Grand Slam title winner, displayed a brilliant performance but failed to overcome the U.S. Open champion.Safin’s 15 singles titles include the 2000 U.S. Open and 2005 Australian Open. The three-time winner in Paris had said that he will quit playing after this season.
Safin had his last win in Australia. His made his best performance this year at St. Petersburg, Russia where he reached the semifinals.
Safin during a small ceremony where he received a special trophy said, “Today I will put all my memories, all my wins and losses in a small box. Today a door is closed, hopefully another one will open."
Several current and former players, including Marc Rosset, Younes El Aynaoui and Albert Costa joined Safin on the court. The former No. 1 player said, "It's really a special feeling to see Younes, Marc and Alberto here. We had some fun together. For me it means a lot that they came to say goodbye."
