Marat Safin is turning serious—well, almost. The rakish Russian and former world No. 1 has been holed up in Moscow, host city of this weekend’s Davis Cup final, concentrating on his role in the up-coming event, according to his official website.
“Marat is in Moscow and working hard on staying fit and focused for the Davis Cup Final,” the site said.
Safin, who made his Davis Cup debut in 1998, was a member of the 2002 Russian Davis Cup team, the first Russian team to take home the trophy in the 106-year history of the competition.
The 26-year-old has become more serious and mature when it comes to his training schedule, as he has already announced that he will retire from the ATP tour in 2010, making the next few years precious moments to recapture some missed opportunities. But with Safin, it’s never all work and no play.
“After Davis Cup, he will spend a week in Moscow relaxing and enjoying himself and then on 10th December he will go to Valencia to continue practicing and working towards 2007,” the site added. “No long holidays for Marat. Then back to Moscow to celebrate the New Year. He will head to Melbourne immediately after New Year to prepare for Kooyong and to be followed by the Australian Open.”
Safin already has the Davis Cup tie against Chile next February on his schedule. He will then head to the United States to play in Las Vegas and San Jose instead of Marseille and Dubai, which should make his American fans very happy.