Marat Safin retires

Marat Safin, otherwise known as The Most Gorgeous Russian Who Ever Lived, has retired from tennis, at the ripe old age of 29.

Safin played his last match today, losing 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to Argentinian U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in the second round of the Paris Masters.

Once the world's No. 1 player, Safin hasn't won a title since the 2005 Australian Open. His arrival on the scene in 2000 signalled that Russian tennis was a force to be reckoned with (the sport, deemed bourgeois, was banned in the Soviet Union, but achieved popularity with the support of Boris Yeltsin, the country's first post-Soviet president).

Safin plays beautiful tennis and he, and his temper tantrums, will surely be missed. Maybe the Moscow native will finally head home? I'm sure plenty of people would be glad to see him back. 

http://www.globalpost.com/notebook/russia-and-its-neighbors/091111/marat-safin-retires