Safin bids farewell to tennis in Paris

Marat Safin holds the key of the Bercy stadium, a farewell trophy to mark the end of his career, during BNP Masters indoor tennis tournament in Paris, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009. Safin ended his career with style with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 defeat by Juan Martin del Potro in the second round of the Paris Masters. The 29-year-old Safin, a two-time Grand Slam title winner, put on a great performance on center court Wednesday against the U.S. Open champion.

Marat Safin says goodbye to Tennis in Paris

After an amazing match with Del Potro, Marat Safin retires from tennis in his favorite tournament, Paris, Bercy.

The former champion has won this tournament 3 times before and he chose to end his career at that very same court he adored.

A great ceremony was prepared to honor our beloved Safin. Attending were great player of old times and also of the new generation who wanted to say goodbye in person.

Great words of admiration and respect were said about Marat from the big players like Federer, Nadal, Murray, Djokovic, Verdasco and many more.

see the video here: http://www.fft.fr/bnpparibasmasters/2009_en/?id=5528

goodbye Marat :)

Marat safin outcasts top seed Davydenko in Moscow

After dropping out first set 4 -6 to Davydenko, Marat Safin breaks back in the second set to end it 6 - 4 in his favor.

Safin prevailed with consistency in his game while Davydenko lost his focus and continued with unforced errors and double faults.

the match ended 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 for Safin and Marat eases his way into second round in Kremlin cup, Moscow.

Kremlin Cup: Davydenko and Safin will play each other in the 1st round

The main surprise of the men’s event is the match of top-seed Nikolay Davydenko vs the favourite of the Moscow fans Marat Safin.

Top-seed Vera Zvonareva will face the Romanian Olaru in the 1st round while 2nd seed Jelena Jankovic will play Yaroslava Shvedova from Kazakhstan. Other interesting match-ups include Agnieszka Radwanska (3) vs Maria Kirilenko and Flavia Pennetta (4) vs Agnes Szavay from Hungary.

Marat Safin advances to China Open Quarterfinals

After losing in Thailand from the second round, Marat decided to take a wild card into China open as a former champion in 2004.
Marat played perfectly solid against Fernando Gonzalez in the second round to capture a solid win against the chili.

Marat Safin advances to quarterfinals to meet no. 1 seed Rafa Nadal.

Exclusive Marat Safin's Pictures in Thailand Open

Day One:
28th of September
outside the impact arena 23:30

after winning his first double match Marat Safin signs autographs for his loyal fans. Exclusive footage from maratsafinnews.blogspot.com

click on the images to enlarge and download :)

Exclusive Marat Safin's Pictures in Thailand Open

Day one:
December 28th
Exclusive from the impact arena bangkok.
Marat Safin and Gilles Simon playing doubles and win first round.

click on the images to enlarge and download!

Marat Safin Clone!

Juan Martin Del Potro is the new Marat Safin.

The 20-year-old has just won the US open just like Marat once did at the same age. Del potro also won the top player of his time, Roger Federer. History tends to repeat itself as Marat won Sampras in 2000.

Big Serve, amazing performance, 2.02 meter height and a lovely smile, that's who Juan Martin is.

The Argentine just Capped an impressive 2009 with a 3-6 7-6 4-6 7-6 6-2 win over Roger Federer in New York.

Safin advances to LA quarterfinals

yesterday before his evening match on stadium court, Marat Safin joked with LA Tennis Open Tournament Staff at the players desk, answering phones and taking messages before edging out Robby Ginepri in three sets.

Today after losing the first set 2-6 to Ernest Gulbis he came back with 2 sets in his favor 6-3, 6-4 to win and advance to the quarterfinals.

He awaits the winner from Tommy Haas and Jesse Levine match.

Safin vs. Sampras, Safin Prevails again

Safin beat Sampras, 6-4, 3-6 (10-6) in the "Millennium Challenge," an exhibition match on the opening day of the Los Angeles Tennis Open at UCLA's Los Angeles Tennis Center on Monday.

It was a rematch of the 2000 U.S. Open final, where Safin beat Sampras, the L.A. Open tournament honoree, to earn the first of his two Grand Slam titles.

Pete Sampras can still serve more than 120 miles per hour and challenges calls as if they mattered, but in the end, as in 2000, Marat Safin prevailed.

"We're kind of looking backwards, and it's really a warm feeling when [you have] an achievement like beating Sampras in the final of U.S. Open," said Safin.

The Russian also won the doubles first round with Igor Kunitsyn agianst Marcus Baghdatis and Dudi Sela, 6-7, 6-2, 11-9.

Marat is scheduled to play Ginepri in the evening session on Tuesday 28th.

Marat Safin vs. Pete Sampras "Millennium Challenge"

Pete Sampras, the 14-time Grand Slam Champion who held the No. 1 ranking for a record 286 weeks, will return to the LA Tennis Center at UCLA this summer for the "Millennium Challenge".

Sampras, a two-time LA Tennis Open will take the court on opening night, July 27, for the "Millennium Challenge," a rematch of the 2000 US Open final against Russian Marat Safin. Safin claimed the first of his two career Grand Slam titles with that win over Sampras in New York, and holds a 4-3 edge over the American in professional matches. Safin won their last meeting, which came in the fourth round of the 2002 Australian Open.

In addition to this Monday night match against Sampras, Safin will play in the main draw of the LA Tennis Open. It will be the sixth appearance for the Russian in the tournament, having gone 6-5 with two quarterfinals in his previous efforts in LA. A former World No. 1, the 2000 US Open and 2005 Australian Open are among Safin's 15 career titles.

here's a link for an interview with Marat on July 22nd regarding this match

Marat Safin faces Nicolas Almagro in Bastad

Marat Safin Faces Nicolas Almagro Wednesday, July 15th in Catella Swedish open, Bastad.

Fernando Verdasco, Robin Soderling, Tommy Robredo and Jurgen Melzer are the top four seeds in the impressive main draw. There are a lot of great matches in the first round but the most interesting one is the meeting between Marat Safin and Nicolas Almagro.

Marat, unseeded in this tournament, currently holds the rank of 58. The match is scheduled to be at 10:30 GMT.

Marat Safin leaves Wimbledon early this year

Last year semi finalist, Marat Safin, exits Wimbledon from the first round.

he lost to Jesse Levine in a devastating 4-set match, 2-6, 6-3, 6-7, 4-6.

What a Shame!

Safin exits Roland Garros for final time interview

"I cannot say I played my best tennis. Definitely not. Far away from that," said Safin, a two-time major champion who has only once come back to win from two sets down. "It was disappointing, a little bit, you know, trying and trying and trying and trying."

Safin erased three match points, including when Ouanna sent a backhand into the net in the last game. Moments later, Safin sent a forehand wide to end it.

"He played good," said Safin, who reached the semifinals at Roland Garros in 2002 but lost in the second round the past two years. "Even though ... he almost lost this match. Christmas is today and not the 25th of December."

Safin has a history of making history -- smashing rackets, setting balls sailing into the crowd, and even dropping his shorts during a match at the French Open, and complaining about the cost of spaghetti at Wimbledon.

On Wednesday, he riled the local fans after sending an easy forehand into the net while serving at 5-6. Disgusted with himself, Safin was preparing for his next serve when he lost control of the ball while bouncing it. He then nervously -- even angrily -- started kicking away dirt from just inside the baseline.

The crowd booed heartily, but forgave and forgot once the match was over, sending Safin off to the locker room with a loud round of applause.

"I'm not a bad boy, but hopefully I can change the thing that not a lot of tennis players have managed, to have a great life afterwards with tennis," Safin said of his future. "With all due respect, I want to try to be the guy who ends up doing something else and be good at it."

No Good News! Marat Safin Continues

One loss after another, that's what Marat is doing now. after the devastating games in Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid, Marat lost again in second round of Roland Garros to Josselin Ouanna in an epic match.

Marat dropped the first 2 sets in tie breaks but he regained his confidence and won the following 2 sets 6-4, 6-3.

in the last set Marat lost himself again and struggled to lose the match 8-10 in the final set.

for over than 4 hours the match was going either way but the final word wasn't Marat's after all.

I don't know why this keeps happening. Marat you are the best. you have everything. we all love you. you just need to love yourself. stop being negative and have faith.

I'm sure that anyone who loves Marat the way I do is crushed down the way I am.

when will he be back? when will he be himself again?

Nobody knows, but we will be waiting.

Marat Safin WE LOVE YOU.

Marat Safin achieves Victory over Hewitt

Marat today in Monte Carlo achieved a consistent victory on Hewitt in a 2 set game.

Marat Safin brought Lleyton Hewitt down to earth on Tuesday when he won the battle of the former world number ones by beating him 6-4 7-5 in the first round of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Australian Hewitt, who won the U.S. Clay Court Championships in Houston on Sunday, could not match Safin's accuracy and bowed out on the third match point when he sent a backhand wide.

Russian Safin, who topped the ATP rankings for the first time in November 2000 following his U.S. Open victory, next faces Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti.

He set his record straight to 7-7 with Hewitt, whom he beat in the Australian Open final in 2005.

Hewitt, who became world number one in November 2001, had his right thigh strapped after the first set but, true to his reputation, did not give up easily.

Both players traded breaks early in the match, with Safin stealing Hewitt's serve a second time in the 10th game to clinch the opening set.

World number 57 Hewitt, a wildcard entry, broke in the third game of the second set, only for Safin to level in the following with a forehand winner down the line.

The Russian wrapped up the win on his opponent's serve after 95 minutes.

Marat Safin plays Davis Cup 1st round on Friday

Marat Safin representing The Russian team plays Victor Crivoi representing the Romanian team on Friday 06 march in Romania.

here's an EXCLUSIVE interview recording for Marat on the draw day

click here to listen

The full draw for the weekend is as follows:

Friday
Victor Crivoi (ROU) v Marat Safin (RUS)
Victor Hanescu (ROU) v Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)

Saturday
Marius Copil/Horia Tecau (ROU) v Teimuraz Gabashvili/Dmitry Tursunov (RUS)

Sunday
Victor Hanescu (ROU) v Marat Safin (RUS)
Victor Crivoi (ROU) v Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)

Two-time Grand Slam Champion Safin will open the proceedings on Friday against Victor Crivoi
for whom this will be only his fourth Davis Cup match. But his lack of Davis Cup experience and the almost 100 ranking places difference between the two did not seem to concern the Romanian. Outcomes in Davis Cup are not always as predictable as they seem on paper and Crivoi is certainly going into the tie with the right attitude, despite the fact that he also has to deal with the pressure of being the first on court.

But he seemed to be at ease even with this minor obstacle, stressing that he was in fact “happy to go first,” a point which his captain also reinforced. “Hanescu has a lot more experience in Davis Cup and so he knows how to deal with different kinds of pressure but for Crivoi it is best to just go in there and not have to sit around much before that.” said Pavel the romanian coach.

Marat Safin in Dubai Barclays Duty free

Marat Safin has been given a wild card entry to Barclays Dubai tennis championship.

Safin reached the final here in 2001 before having to retire against Juan Carlos Ferrero with injury, and he has since struggled to repeat that success. In his four appearances since then he has failed to advance beyond the second round, but he has shown good form recently, with a final in Moscow in October and a fine performance against Roger Federer at the Australian Open suggesting he can still be a threat to anyone.

An interesting first-round clash will see Russia’s Marat Safin take on Frenchman Richard Gasquet. Ranked 26 and 27 in the world respectively, the two couldn’t be more closely matched. Safin, who had to reply on a wild card to participate in the tournament, has the superior record of three wins to Gasquet’s one, when the two have gone head to head in the past. He will, however, be hoping to avoid emulating his sister’s performance in Dubai this year – the world number two, Dinara Safina having crashed out in her first match of the tournament, after being handed a bye in the first round.

Marat Safin's last Australian open interview

After losing to Federer on the 23rd of January, Marat Safin leaves his last Australian open in the 3rd round.

Federer won 6-3, 6-2, 7-6

Here's Marat Safin's interview after the match.

Q. What happened with the foot faults in the tiebreak?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, just unfortunately some people, they want to take five seconds of the camera and to show everybody that he's in the match. It's sad story. Just unfortunately it's the most stupid thing I ever saw in my life.

It's just disappointment, because it's already 3‑1. There was a chance. It's a tiebreak. Every point counts. When it goes like that on the second serve in the tiebreak, why? I don't understand.

Q. It's happened to you before?

MARAT SAFIN: It happened to me in US Open. Just like I said, it's just the most stupid thing. Like there shouldn't be this rule. I'm not stepping on the line. It's sideways. It doesn't help at all to serve better.

Q. How much of an affect do you think that had on you? You won the next four points after that. Did you think it ended up costing you?

MARAT SAFIN: I think I played better in the third set. Unfortunately, it's probably a little bit too late to play against Federer to get into the match. I started to feel much for comfortable on the court in the third set.

I had a couple opportunities there, small ones, but still. Tiebreak was very close. For me, it was a chance to win a set, and then you never know what happens. I felt like he was struggling a little bit. Slightly. Of course, he's a great player. Just I could feel that he was tense. There was a small chance for me, just it slipped away.

Q. Do we have a chance to see you back here next year?

MARAT SAFIN: I doubt it. I really doubt it. I really doubt it.

Q. How does it make you feel to be saying good‑bye to Grand Slam events?

MARAT SAFIN: I don't like this bye‑bye part. It's just a sad story. It's not for me. I prefer to leave this way, quietly, nice, with a great match.

Unfortunately, I couldn't do better than that, three sets. But anyway, I lost today probably to the better player, one of the greatest ones in the history of tennis. I really hope for him to be so I can tell the story to my kids that I played with him. I think it's a nice story.

Q. What memories will you take away from this tournament?

MARAT SAFIN: I had some ups and downs here. One disappointment. Another great year. One final against Roger. And then one title I took here beating also Roger and Hewitt. So I've been playing some great tennis. So just the whole thing, the whole setup. The beautiful city, great people.

The crowd is always friendly. Go around in the city and they just love tennis. They live with tennis. They really enjoy it and appreciate what you are doing. That's what makes it special. It's really very sports‑people living here. It's always nice to come here every year, year after year. Unfortunately, I doubt it's going to ever happen again.

Q. That semifinal you played against Federer in 2005, people still talk about that as one of the great matches. How does that stick in your mind in terms of your career?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, just it was one of the greatest matches I ever played in my life probably. It's just for the fact that to play against Federer, against Roger, because he's the kind of player for my tennis, he's not really comfortable. He is not really comfortable tennis game for me.

I always struggled to play against him because he just doesn't give me any rhythm. He knows what to do in exact moment of the match. He knows what I'm going to do.

For me, to win that match in a semifinal was a huge thing. I never played any better. I wasn't any luckier in any other moments in the tennis court, so I could say that I was lucky; I played great tennis. He missed couple of shots that could change the match. He was very close to win it. He had a match point.

Q. You seem to keep your emotions in check a little bit tonight. Was that a conscious effort to hold yourself back a bit?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, if you get there, you try to play against Federer, you want to ‑‑ you see the opportunities, you see what you should do. Every time I try to do something else, the ball is not landing where you want it to land.

It's a little bit, of course, a disappointment because he doesn't give you a lot of opportunities throughout one hour and a half of the match.

You need to count every single point and any single chance to break him, otherwise there is just no chance. Of course it's disappointment that I'm not there, but you just need to keep it cool, just to wait for another one. Maybe there will be another chance. I had it. I had them. But not enough.

Q. You embraced Roger at the end. Was that partly because of what's happened at the tournament, or because you knew you were saying good‑bye as well?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, it's just we know each other for how many years? Since '94. We didn't play in the juniors, but we saw each other. We had some great matches. I was close a couple times. We grew up together. He started a little bit later than me.

I respect him as a tennis player, as a person. He's just very close ‑‑ let's put it this way: Very close colleague of mine.

Q. You also say he's the best you ever faced?

MARAT SAFIN: Probably, yeah. He's the most complete tennis player in the history of tennis, that's for sure. With all due respects to Agassi and Sampras and the rest of the gang.

But I never felt so uncomfortable against any of the players before.

Q. Fabrice?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but I managed to beat him the last four times, so that's okay. Fabrice is a special guy also.

Q. I know it's hard for you, but who is your tip to go on and win the tournament?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, it's too early to say. Roger, he's definitely playing well. He played really well today. In the important moments he was at his best. He served well.

Also surprised me a lot Murray, the way he's moving and the playing around the court and the way he observes the other player on the beginning of the match. He's very clever and great hands. He's one more person to counsel. Djokovic is there. He's dangerous.

I'm pretty sure that ‑‑ anybody else coming to my head right now. Definitely going to come up somebody. Gilles Simon, for example.

There will be somebody. Third round. A little bit too early to speculate about it. We'll see. Roddick is there.

Q. What about Nadal?

MARAT SAFIN: Oh, yeah. Exactly. See. That's what I'm missing. He's the one who managed to beat Federer in almost all the surfaces. I mean, grass, he took him on grass, which is barely impossible and he managed.

So I think he has all the chances here if he gets to the final.

Q. Do you feel like Federer's playing the same as before or a bit different?

MARAT SAFIN: What kind of different? He cannot play any different tennis. He has all the skills, and he uses them. One day maybe he miss a couple of balls and the match goes to somebody else, but normally he manage to win all of them.

It's up to him every time, except on clay. But he knows exactly what he's doing. Just depends if he's a hundred percent feeling great that day. Basically two points make a big difference.

Q. Did you guys say anything to each other over the net?

MARAT SAFIN: What you are going say? Well done. Great play. Typical stuff. What else do you want me to say to him?

Q. Did he say anything to you?

MARAT SAFIN: Bad luck.

Q. What would it take to change your mind about walking away from tennis?

MARAT SAFIN: Nothing. I've been already too many years. I want to change and do something else. I'm ready for that. It's been a nice trip. It's enough.

Q. Do you know what that something else is?

MARAT SAFIN: Yeah, but I'll keep it to myself for the moment. I would love to do that. I'm ready.

Federer, Safin 3rd round clash in the australian open 2009

After winning his 1st 2 rounds, Marat Safin (2005 champion) will face Roger Federer world no.2 in the 3rd round of the Australian open.

The match is scheduled today, thursday 22/01 at 10 a.m. GMT.

Roger Federer and Marat Safin earned easy victories Wednesday to reach the Australian Open's third round, where the familiarity factor will be much higher: They'll play each other.

“I'm happy to be playing Marat; we have fought some battles,” Roger Federer said after ousting error-prone Evgeny Korolev of Russia 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 in just 86 minutes. “We had the epic in 2005.”

That was a semifinal thriller here that Marat Safin won in a 9-7 fifth set en route to the championship. Federer, seeking to tie Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles, has won their last three meetings, including the last two at Wimbledon.

Although Federer's No. 2 ranking is 24 places higher, Safin's talent, unpredictability and famed volatility set the stage for an early marquee matchup.

Safin, a former world No. 1, beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-5, 6-2, 6-2. He will turn 29 next week and has said he is unlikely to play after this year, so he's trying to enjoy what could be his farewell tour.

“I have nothing to lose,” Safin said. “I'm going to go for it. Whatever comes, comes. He knows how to play against me; I know how to play against him.”

Australian open 2009

The 1st grand slam of the year starts today, Monday 1/19/2009.
The Australian open has finally opened its doors.
Marat Safin is seeded no. 26 in the tournament.
his first round match is scheduled today at 6:30 a.m. GMT
he plays Ivan Navarro the spaniard.

link to schedule
link to draws
link to website

Safin's bloody good show and the slovaks win hopman cup

Arriving in perth, bruised and battered didn't stop Safin in reaching the final i hopman cup.

the russian teamed up with his sister Dinara Safina currently world no.3 and ended runner ups of the tournament.

Dominika Cibulkova and Dominik Hrbaty led Slovakia to the Hopman Cup title Friday with singles victories over Russian siblings Dinara Safina and Marat Safin.

Cibulkova beat Safina 6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-4 Friday to give Slovakia a 1-0 lead and hand Safina her first singles loss of the tournament. Hrbaty then beat Safin, 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (3) to clinch the championship before about 8,000 people at the Burswood Dome.

Each team had 3-0 records going into the final and led its group in round-robin play of the mixed teams event.

It was Slovakia’s third title in the 21-year history of the Hopman Cup. Hrbaty also won in 2005, with Daniela Hantuchova.

Safina gave away three set points in the 10th game of the opening set.

Trailing 5-1 in the deciding set, she won the next three games, but Cibulkova held her serve in the final game to take the match. It was the Slovakian’s first win over Safina in three career matches.

“I was up 5-1 and suddenly it was 5-4, then she had a break point so I was really fighting,” Cibulkova said. “I’m just so happy I beat her. I had to play aggressive.”

Safin, who was unusually subdued during his group matches, displayed his typical volatility in the final, smashing a racket in the first set.

The 28-year-old, who has said he will retire at the end of 2009, also entertained the crowd. During a tense moment in the third set, with Hrbaty struggling to hold serve, Safin gave the net judge a kiss on the cheek after his wayward forehand hit her in the body.

Russian former world number one Marat Safin believes little sister Dinara Safina is poised for a breakthrough Grand Slam win at the upcoming Australian Open.

The fiery siblings teamed up on the court for the first time at the mixed teams Hopman Cup here this week, reaching the final only to lose to Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova and Dominik Hrbaty.

Despite her surprise loss to Cibulkova on Friday, Safin, who won the Australian Open title in 2005, said his sister was ready to lift the women's title and also become world number one.

"I think she is ready," he said. "She had a tough match, Cibulkova played incredible tennis.

"It is going to be a different story in Australian Open. There are going to be a lot of nerves, she's not defending anything because she lost first round last year, but she has a huge chance.

"She has a big chance to get closer to number one and I think she is looking for this and she is ready to be there."

Meanwhile Safin, who arrived with two black eyes from a fist fight in Moscow, was also confident about his final season before retirement after showing great form in his wins against Simone Bolelli and Lu Yen-Hsun.

"I am happy with how I am playing and I ready to go to Melbourne," said the world number 29.

"I am quite confident, the way I am playing after two months without touching a racquet, it is not bad tennis I am showing."

Marat Safin interview after winning his first match in hopman cup

Listen to the full interview Exclusive!

Russian tennis great Marat Safin overcame plenty to give his Russian team, also consisting of his sister, an opening Tie Hyundai Hopman Cup victory.

Safin, a former world No. 1, US and Australian Open winner, has decided that 2009 will be his final year on the Tour and he could have hardly made a more newsworthy beginning to it.

While his younger sister Dinara Safina has been in Perth training hard for the last week, Safin was having his own problems back home in Moscow.

Having been involved in an altercation a week ago which left him with one black eye, one cut eye and an injured thumb, it didn’t stop him beating Italy's Simone Bolelli to seal the Tie for the Russians.

While he contemplated retirement at the end of his 2008 campaign, Safin has decided to have a farewell tour this year and a big factor in that was the chance to play alongside his sister at the Hyundai Hopman Cup.

He might not be willing to reveal what his future holds, but he would about why he has come to the Cup for the fourth time.

"It's probably going to be my last year for sure and I'm moving onto my new life. I have no pressure and will do what I can to make it easy for me to play good tennis. Hopefully I can enjoy it and get some good results," Safin said.

"Leave it up to me (what I do in the future). I don’t want to speculate, but my bosses know about it and want to do it this way. You'll see.

"It's always a pleasure to come here, especially when you have a great companion on your team like my sister. I couldn’t refuse the offer to play with her especially as it's the first time and here, where there's a nice atmosphere, everyone is enjoying it and a lot of people are watching."

As for his incident last week, Safin did reveal his remnants were looking worse days ago and that it came from a fight that he prevailed in. He was delighted to play well still despite that and his late arrival in Perth.

"It was some small problem where I wasn’t in the right place at the right time, let's put it this way," he said.

"Yes, I won the fight. I'm OK now. It happened a week ago but I came out and won my match after not playing for two months, so that was pretty good."

Safin had a massive trip to make from Russia to Perth only landing on Saturday night, before having a light hit on court before being ready to play on Sunday, and to play well with 14 aces pleased him.

"I was struggling a little bit after flying forever and arriving late last night, so I couldn't practice a lot," he said.

"I warmed up a little today and tried to get through my match. It's tough to play your best tennis and it's more difficult to move and serve, so it becomes too complicated to play good tennis."

Taking the pressure off himself with it being his last year could well be a blessing in disguise for the 28-year-old, who is confident of having one of his best years before retiring. That could start at the Australian Open where he's a past winner, but he won't miss the game.

"Not really (in response to being asked if he would miss tennis). I'm OK. I like to play, but also enjoy my life and I'm not really crazy about it," he said.

"I am looking forward to playing well there, and hopefully I can have a good draw. I would prefer to play with somebody who can give me some pace so I can get used to the courts and conditions and then after the third round I will be ready to play a tough one.

"I just want to enjoy it, not have any pressure on myself and I don’t care what the results will be if I'm having fun. It's much easier than when people expect things from you, so hopefully I can have my best results this year without the pressure."

Marat and Dinara beat The Italians in hopman cup

RUSSIA's dynamic brother-sister duo of Dinara Safina and Marat Safin got off to a winning Hyundai Hopman Cup start downing Italy 2-1 on Sunday's Session 2.

It is the first time Safina and older brother Safina have teamed together anywhere in the world and they secured the win with victories in their singles encounters over Italy's Flavia Pennetta and Simone Bolelli.

The women's match was a close fought affair between the world's No. 3 and 13 with Safina having to come from behind in each set to win 7-5, 6-3.

Fresh off the plane from Russia into Perth on Saturday night, Safin wore some war wounds from his New Year's back home but did not drop serve against Bolelli to win 7-6 (5), 6-4 on the back of 14 aces.

The Italians then got a measure of revenge winning the mixed doubles 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (10/2) in a result that keeps them well in the hunt for the final.

While Safina won the women's singles in straight sets, it was a tremendously see-sawing battle. Pennetta opened up a 3-1 lead in the first set and consolidated that to 5-3, but then the Russian won the next four games to claim it 7-5.

It ended in a cruel way when Pennetta was called for the first foot fault of the tournament.

Pennetta again started the second set in bright fashion to take a commanding 3-0 advantage after winning the first two games without Safina winning a point, but the Russian then dominated winning six straight games to take the set 6-3, and sew up the win for the Russians.

In the men's match, Safin and Bolelli held serve right through the first set to send it into a tie-break. Safin's serve was well on song with 10 aces and that helped him claim the tie-breaker 7-5.

Having scored a win in their only previous meeting, Bolelli wasn’t about to go away, though, and the two held serve through the first six games of the second set before Safin scored the first break.

It came in the seventh game to give him a 4-3 lead and Safin consolidated to go up 5-3. Safin went on to hold serve and break Bolelli again to take the second set 6-4 to clinch the Tie.

Pennetta and Bolelli were desperate to do well in the doubles and started well, taking the set 7-5. However, Safina and Safin hit back in the second to win it 6-4 and force a deciding Match tie-break.

When there, the Italian duo dominated to take it out 10-2 to score the victory.

Italy next plays in Tuesday's day Session against France, while Russia has until Wednesday evening before taking on Chinese Taipei.