Marat Safin is a Russian tennis player, the first Russian to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (2016). Winner of 15 titles, winner of two Grand Slam tournaments - the US Open in 2000 and the Australian Open in 2005. Marat remained in the memory of fans not only as a great player, but also as the most emotional tennis player in the world. His actions on the court sometimes dismayed the judges and the public with their extravagance and impulsiveness.
Childhood and youth
Marat Safin, a Tatar by nationality, was born in Moscow on January 27, 1980. The boy's parents were directly involved in sports. Rauza’s mother Islanova, 10 years before the birth of her son, was one of the most successful tennis players in the Soviet Union (later she became a coach), and father Mubin Alekseevich held an administrative post in the Spartak sports society. In 1986, a daughter, Dinara, was born into the family, who also later became a tennis player and the first racket of the world.
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Marat Safin in his youth
From an early age, Marat was surrounded by athletes - his mother returned to work early and took the child with her to the court. Already taking his first steps in tennis, the boy showed brilliant results, although at that time he was more interested in football.
When Marat was 6 years old, his mother began training seriously. Soon Safin was sent to a tennis academy in Cincinnati, USA, along with Anna Kournikova, who subsequently remained in America. Returning home, the guy continued training under his mother and soon received a grant from a Swiss bank to study abroad.
Tennis
In 1997, the matured athlete, whose height is 1.93 m and weighs 88 kg, went to a tennis tournament in Espino. This performance is considered the beginning of his professional sports biography.
At first, the guy showed different results, but soon the tennis players of the top hundred began to feel uncomfortable with him on the court.
The best matches in Marat Safin’s career include the competition against, the previous year’s champion, at the French Open (Roland Garros) in 1998. The forces were unequal, but the newcomer, who made it into the main draw through selection, managed to defeat the championship leader.
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By the beginning of the 21st century, Safin had become one of the most successful and famous tennis players on the planet. At the age of 25, the athlete beat the titled Pete Sampras at the US Open Championship and received the status of the first racket of the world. But Marat’s emotionality and impulsiveness prevented him from showing even results. The tennis player showed his temper on the court by breaking rackets, especially if he failed to beat his opponent.
The athlete worked steadily as part of the Russian national team’s performances, showing himself to be an excellent team captain. In 2002, the Russian team won the Davis Cup, and Safin made a key contribution to this victory.
Marat's last match took place on November 11, 2009 at the French stadium. 14 thousand tennis fans came to watch the game. At the end of his sports career, Safin’s fortune was estimated at $14 million. The athlete owned a spacious apartment in the center of Moscow and a villa in Monte Carlo.
Since 2009, Safin began to often perform at exhibition tournaments and veteran competitions. In addition, he became vice-president of the Russian Tennis Federation.
In 2011, the athlete became a State Duma deputy from the United Russia party. After 6 years, the tennis player handed over his parliamentary mandate. He explained his decision by the desire to devote more time to work in international sports organizations. In the government, Safin retained the position of public adviser to the Chairman of the State Duma of the 7th convocation, Vyacheslav Volodin, on sports issues.
Personal life
Marat Safin is known for his love affairs, and his novels and photos with new women on social networks attract no less attention to his person than his sports activities. So, in the mid-2000s, his chosen one was designer Dasha Zhukova, whom the tennis player introduced to everyone as his bride. However, the couple soon broke up, and Daria herself subsequently became his wife. The tennis player’s personal life continued to develop rapidly.
At one time, rumors periodically appeared in articles about Marat Safin in the press that his girlfriend was Anna Druzyaka. Marat and Anna were brought together and divorced many times, they prophesied a quick wedding for them or declared that the young couple were expecting a child. During periods of separation from Anna, Safina was noticed in the company of girls, Valeria Yakubovskaya.
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Marat Safin and Dasha Zhukova
There were rumors that Valeria became the mother of Marat's only daughter Eva, but Safin himself denied this statement, saying that he had no children.
In 2016, opera singer Aida Garifullina became the athlete’s lover. Journalists wrote that the star couple was expecting a child and would soon get married, but Safin and Garifullina broke up due to a busy work schedule.
Subsequently, Marat will admit that he feels great without a girlfriend or wife. He cannot stand relationships with the opposite sex that last more than a week. The athlete loves freedom and life for his own pleasure.
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Winner of two Grand Slam cups in singles, twice winner of the Davis Cup competition as part of the Russian national team, winner of 17 ATP games, Marat Safin is so popular in our country due to his achievements that his name is familiar even to those completely far from tennis.
The beginning of the career of Marat Safin
The son of the head of the sports base "Spartak-Shiryaevo Pole" and one of best tennis players USSR, Rauza Islanova, had every chance to become interested in tennis at a young age. Marat was six years old when he began regular training, and at ten he, along with other young athletes, went to the qualifying stage for admission to Nick Bollettieri's tennis academy. He did not pass this selection, but four years later he ended up with mentor Rafael Mensua at the Valencian Academy of Pancho Alvarin. Marat lived and trained in Spain for four years.
Professional start of a tennis player
Seventeen-year-old Marat Safin played his first match as a professional athlete in 1997 at the Kremlin Cup. Although he lost the fight, Safin attracted a lot of attention. The next year was very busy - he was part of the Russian team at the Davis Cup and reached the fourth rounds at the Open Championships in France and the USA. As a result, Safin received the title of discovery of the year and took a place in the ranking of the 50 best tennis players according to the ATP version.
A bright career in big sports
In 1999, young Marat Safin won his first ATP title in Boston and reached the final of the Masters tournament. In 2000, the incredible happened - six ATP titles and a Grand Slam Cup for winning the US Open, and Marat took the top of the ATP rankings for two weeks. The following year, two more titles are added to the athlete’s treasury of achievements. In 2002, he won the Masters series tournament and participated in the national team's victory at the Davis Cup.
Decline of Glory
The following year was unproductive, and 2004 brought him two Masters and winning a competition in Beijing. In 2005 there was a victory at the Australian Open, and this became the last title for Safin in singles - only a year later he was able to loudly declare himself by winning the Davis Cup together with his national team colleagues, and in 2009 end his career after losing the final of the Paris Masters.
Today Marat Safin is right hand Shamil Tarpishchev (head Russian Federation tennis) and a State Duma deputy from the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Marat Safin Biography - Tennis player
Safin Marat was born on January 27, 1980 in Moscow. His mother, Roza Islanovna, is a famous Russian tennis player, one of the ten best players in the USSR. Later she became the coach of Spartak. His father, Mikhail Alekseevich, worked in the same club with his wife.
The first time Marat got on the court was in infancy - at the age of five months. It so happened that there was no one to leave the baby with, and Rosa Islanovna took him with her to training, which took place in Sokolniki on the courts of the Spartak-Shiryaevo Pole tennis base.
Since that time, Marat attended training sessions many times, where his mother taught the children the basics of tennis. And one day he picked up a racket and started playing. At the same time, he didn’t have to explain how to hold a racket or how to hit the ball - he already knew how to do everything.
Mom became the first coach of the future famous tennis player. In his childhood, Marat took 2nd-3rd position in the ranking of his peers involved in this sport.
In 1990, a group of young tennis players from Russia were sent to the United States of America to study at a tennis academy located in Cincinnati. Among them were Marat Safin and Anna Kournikova. Soon Marat returned - he did not take root far from his homeland.
With the support of sponsors, in 1994 the parents of the young athlete sent their son to Spain for further education.
Didn't know Spanish, at the age of 14, Marat went to a completely unfamiliar country in the city of Valencia, where he was accepted into the Pancho Alvarin tennis academy. Here Rafael Mensua became his coach.
In 1997, a decision was made to return the young tennis player to his homeland, but, despite numerous difficulties, he remained in the country he loved and continued training. He still lives there and continues to improve his professional training.
In 1997, the young athlete won his first sports title. That same year they started talking about Marat seriously. In September, Shamil Tarpishchev, captain of the RSFSR team, proposed Safin as a reserve player for the Moscow Play Off match with the Romanian national team.
In November 1997, the young tennis player made his debut at the Kremlin Cup - on the ATP tour in Moscow. Unfortunately, he dropped out in the first round. However, his climb up the ladder of success soon began.
In April 1998, at the suggestion of Shamil Tarpishchev, Safin played number two in the Russian national team at a meeting with the American team, held as part of the Davis Cup.
This time, an unknown young tennis player forced his opponent - one of the strongest tennis players in the world, Jim Courier - to give his all.
After this match, the American said that he would tell his grandchildren about this game.
At the French Open, one of the Grand Slam tournaments, Russian Marat Safin became a sensation. Having passed the qualifying round brilliantly, he displaces Agassi, Kuerten, and then Vacek in the first round. Only Piolin was able to stop the Russian tennis player.
After a sensational performance in France, Marat takes part in the US Open, again ousting eminent professionals from the game. Thanks to such successes, the rating of the young Russian rapidly increased - and, starting from 204th position, Safin reached 48th in 1998.
At the beginning of 1999, Marat Safin entered the top thirty best tennis players in the world.
According to his teammate Yevgeny Kafelnikov, the new champion has a great future in the world of tennis.
Brief biographical dictionary
"Safin Marat" and other articles from the section
Marat Safin was born on January 27, 1980 in a family of professional tennis players. They said that he was born with a racket in his hands. In the past, one of the best tennis players in the USSR, Marat’s mother taught the boy to play sports from childhood, and later became his personal trainer. She noticed more than once how sports victories were easily and naturally given to her son. It was she who, in 1994, managed to get a special grant for studying and training abroad for her son, which undoubtedly contributed to the improvement of Marat’s qualifications as an athlete.
Professional sports career Marata Safina started with the tournament in Espino in 1997. And the first tournament brought the first victories. Tennis player Safin confidently entered the top 200 athletes in the world. Then came the first and only disappointment in Marat’s career - defeat at the Kremlin Cup. But the winning streak started with this loss. In one year, 1998, the tennis player rose in the ranking from 204 to 48. Discipline and perseverance helped the athlete achieve unprecedented heights in sports.
In a short period of time, Marat Safin became the hope of Russian sports; great achievements were predicted for him. There was no athlete in the world equal to him in strength and potential. At the age of twenty, Marat beat the legendary Pete Sampras at the tournament, where he was awarded the title of first racket of the world. But due to constant injuries and unstable psyche, the athlete lost this title by the end of the year. Marat remained one of the favorites of world tennis, but he never got into first place again. However, he was the permanent captain of the Russian National Team and always showed his best. Under his leadership in 2002, the team won a legendary victory at the Davis Cup.
Ups in Marat's profession were constantly followed by downs, most often due to injuries. So the athlete missed almost all of 2003 due to a sprained wrist. At the age of 25, his career reached its apogee. At the Australian Open, he won his first victory over Roger Federer, and in the final he defeated Lleyton Hewitt. Bright victories in singles were inconsistent and were followed by equally striking defeats. An athlete could drop from 50th place to 100th in less than half a year. In 2009, Marat Safin played his final season. On November 11, the tennis player’s last match took place in France.
Marat Safin is one of the best tennis players in the world. The athlete managed to remain the first racket of the world for nine weeks. Now Marat has finished his professional career and became a deputy of the State Duma. How did the athlete manage to reach such heights in the port, and then in politics?
As a child, it was clear to everyone that little Marat would become a tennis star. How could it not happen when the boy was born in Moscow into the family of one of the best tennis players in the USSR and the director of the Spartak club? He was taught to hold a racket in his hands almost from childhood.
Marat was easily able to play tennis and in the first stages of training he showed good results, although at the same time he dreamed of becoming a football player and played tennis only at the instruction of his mother, and she took her son seriously. Already at six, the little athlete became one of the three best tennis players of his age in the entire Soviet Union.
At a very young age, Marat went to America to attend a tennis academy. Then 9-year-old Anna Kournikova went to the USA with him, who stayed there, but Safin did not like America, he did not show good results and returned to Moscow again.
Parents did not just try to send their son to train abroad. In the 90s, the boy simply did not have a place to train in Russia; all sports schools were in terrible condition. Already in 1994, Safina’s mother obtained a grant from a Swiss bank and nevertheless sent Marat to study sports outside of his homeland. It is from this moment that the independent life of a 14-year-old boy begins. Marat trained in Spain at the Tennis Academy. Pancho Alvarina. I had to live very modestly.
She began her professional career in 1997. The athlete took part in a tournament in Espino, where tennis players who were among the second hundred best in the world competed. Then for Marat, it seemed, these were unattainable heights. Marat performed more than successfully at the tournament, followed by the Kremlin Cup, which did not go well and ended in loss. After this, a streak of luck began in the tennis player’s career. So, having started at the position of 204th in the 1998 ranking, in 1999 he became 45th.
Many famous tennis players had to be defeated by a young and talented athlete. Marat became the hope not only of his mother, but of everyone sports world. In 2000, Safin became the best in the world. At the age of 20, at the American Open Tennis Championship, Marat beat Pete Sampras himself and became the first racket of the world. After 9 weeks, he lost this place to Gustav Kuerten.
Often, due to injuries that disrupted training, career highs were accompanied by serious failures. Marat missed all of 2003 due to a long recovery process from an injury; already in 2004 he was able to return to his previous form and a year later he won the long-awaited Grand Slam tournament.
Then the athlete’s career remained at the world level, but he was no longer able to be the best. The 25-year-old athlete spent his last season in 2009 in 24th place in the ranking. On November 11, 2009, 14 thousand people said goodbye to the tennis player at his final match in France.
A few years later, in July 2009, the athlete’s decision seemed unexpected to many run for the State Duma. The athlete achieved his goal and became deputy from the Nizhny Novgorod region. It was at this moment that Safin’s new career began - political. “A lot of things here are similar to sports,” the tennis player said.
Personal life of Marat Safin
All the world's tabloids watched Safin's personal life. The first relationship developed in Spain with a girl named Silvia even before the tennis player became famous. The young people dated for 4 years, but as soon as Marat succeeded in sports, the relationship ended.
WITH Ekaterina Bestuzheva The romantic relationship lasted almost a year, but did not look like it was serious.
In 2004, a serious romance with a designer began Daria Zhukova. The world's media were waiting for the couple to announce their engagement, but Daria chose Roman Abromovich over Marat.
No wonder that the athlete has an illegitimate daughter, Eva, which he sees no more than once every six months. The girl’s mother, businesswoman Valeria, found out about her pregnancy after she broke up with Safin. A tennis player allocates a certain amount of money every month to raise a child.
The success of Marat Safin was predetermined in childhood by the efforts of his mother. Now, after the tennis player’s career ended and he managed to change his field of activity, we can say with confidence that the family of the famous tennis player and director of the Spartak club managed to raise a great athlete.
