At Last, Marat Safin Goes Down Swinging

Game, Set, Career.

Marat Safin waved goodbye to the ATP Tour Wednesday after a powerhouse performance against Juan Martin Del Potro at Bercy. 

The final scoreboard showed a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory for the Argentine, but Safin gave his best performance of the year and came away with warm cheers from a supportive crowd.  Following the match, tournament organizers presented him with a key to the city where he's won three times.

The Russian came to play, not submit to a farewell beating.  He served 15 aces to DelPo's 11, saved seven break points, and found winners in every corner.  The storied backhand down the line was on display, and Safin challenged the U.S. Open champion with his signature touch of finesse at the net. 

It's been said that on any given day, Safin is the game's greatest talent.  Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, among others, are consistently better.  But no one has been blessed with so many natural gifts for the sport as the mercurial Russian. 

Those gifts were showcased in two of the finest matches ever played:  the 2000 U.S. Open final, a demolishing of Pete Sampras, and the 2005 Australian Open semifinal where Safin dealt a crushing blow to Federer's 26-match winning streak.

Though injuries and self-berating kept Safin from seriously challenging Federer's dominance over the last decade, the big man leaves tennis with an immeasurable gap to fill. 

Finding a replacement for the prototype body, the marquee good looks, and the fighting spirit won't be so hard.  Del Potro matches Safin in height and build, Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez hold their own in the cover model category, and any number of players bring heart. 

But who else has all these traits combined with the larger-than-life showmanship, brooding intellect, and sharp wit?  Will there ever be a tennis star—not player—as complete as Marat Safin?

Asked in his closing ceremony what his greatest memories of tennis are, he swiftly answered, "Today...this is the day where all my memories will be in one box. I'm closing one door, hopefully another door will be opened."

Safin once said, "On court, some secret features of a character start appearing.  You can't hide anything." He has famously been an open book both on the baseline and in the press room, but one well-kept secret is his post-retirement plan.

The 29-year-old says he wants to achieve more, taking up another profession.  He's hinted at studying law and business, but gives no specifics, saying only that he'll begin with time on a beach somewhere to decompress. 

When asked whether he'll simply disappear, he reassured fans, "You'll see me." And, we will.  Safin plans to make an encore appearance in January's Hong Kong Tennis Classic exhibition. 

As the jumbotron in Paris aptly read today, "Merci, Marat.  A bientot. "  Thank you, indeed.

Story:  Andrea Nay
Photo:  Reuters

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