Safin planning to retire in 2010

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/sport1/hi/tennis/5406812.stm

Version 0 of 1.

Russia's Marat Safin says he will retire from tennis in 2010.

The 26-year-old, who won the US Open in 2000 and Australian Open in 2005, has slipped to 63rd in the world and split with coach Peter Lundgren in August.

"My last season will be 2010," the former world number one told L'Equipe. "I will be 30 years old and it will be time to move onto something different.

"The season has been very tough. If I had won half the games I should have, I would have a different ranking."

Safin, who says his short-term goal is to return to the world's top 30, put all thoughts of retirement aside in the first round of the Open de Moselle on Wednesday, as he beat fourth seed Mikhail Youzhny 6-1 6-4.

Safin took less than an hour to seal victory against his Russian compatriot and did not concede a single break point in the entire match.