What Is Marat Safin's Net Worth?
Marat Safin is a Russian retired professional tennis player and politician who has a net worth of $15 million. Marat Safin began his professional tennis career in 1997, and between 2000 and 2001, he held the world #1 tennis ranking for nine weeks. He defeated Pete Sampras to win his first Grand Slam title at the 2000 US Open, and he won the 2005 Australian Open after defeating Lleyton Hewitt. At the Davis Cup, Marat helped lead Russia to victory in 2002 and 2006, and in 2008, he became the first male Russian player to make the semi-finals at Wimbledon.
Safin was known for his temper and emotional outbursts on the court and said that he had broken over 1,000 tennis rackets in his career. His younger sister, Dinara Safina, is also a former #1 ranked WTA player, making Marat and Dinara the first brother and sister who have both been ranked #1. Safin finished his career with 15 singles and two doubles titles, and he retired from tennis after the 2009 Paris Masters. He has served as a member of the Russian Olympic Committee and has been an official for the Russian Tennis Federation. After his retirement, Marat was elected to the Russian Parliament in 2011 as a member of Putin's United Russia Party. He resigned from the position in 2017. Safin earned over $14 million in prize money during his tennis career.
Early Life
Marat Safin was born Marat Mubinovich Safin on January 27, 1980, in Moscow, Soviet Union. His parents, Rauza Islanova and Mubin ("Mikhail") Safin, are Tatar, and Marat speaks Russian, Spanish, and English. Marat's parents were formerly tennis players and coaches. Safin has a younger sister named Dinara, who is a retired professional tennis player. Dinara was the #1 women's singles tennis player in the world in 2009, and she won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games. Marat's father was the manager of the Spartak Tennis Club, and Safin trained there during his youth. When he was 14 years old, Marat relocated to Valencia, Spain, in order to take part in advanced tennis training programs that weren't available in Russia.
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Career
In 1997, Safin began playing tennis professionally, and at the 1998 French Open, he defeated Andre Agassi, followed by Gustavo Kuerten, who was the defending champion. When he was 19, Marat won his first Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) title, then he made it to the 1999 Paris, Bercy final. In 2000, he won seven ATP Tour singles titles: the ATP 500 in Barcelona, the ATP 250 in Mallorca, Tashkent, and St. Petersburg, the Masters 1000 in Toronto, the Grand Slam at the US Open, and the Masters 1000 in Paris. For nine weeks that year, Safin held the #1 ATP ranking. He reached the Grand Slam finals at the Australian Open in 2002, 2004, and 2005, winning the title in 2005. Marat missed most of the 2003 season because of a wrist energy, and he injured his knee in 2005. He won ATP Tennis Masters Series titles in 2002 and 2004, and reached the Tennis Masters Cup semifinals in 2000 and 2004 and the Wimbledon semifinals in 2008. Safin helped Russia win the Davis Cup in 2002 and 2006, and he played in the 2009 St. Petersburg Open semifinals. The 2009 Paris Masters was his last tournament as a professional player, and he lost to Juan Martín del Potro, the reigning US Open champion, in the second round. Marat joined the ATP Champions Tour in 2011, the same year he was elected to Russian Parliament.
Personal Life
In an interview with journalist Maria Komandna, Safin said of his personal life, "I'm not chasing a family. I have comrades who say, 'You are already 40 years old. It's time to start a family and children.' And I understand that everyone has their own time for this. I am ready, in principle, to live without children, a girl or a wife. If I meet a person who will be an interesting partner to me, then yes. But I don't want to do this for the sake of a tick." In 2008, Marat told "USA Today," "I'm Russian, but I'm 100% Muslim. All the Muslim people are passionate, stubborn. We have hot blood." During an interview with Alexander Golovin of Sports.Ru a decade later, Safin said that though he believes something was responsible for the creation of the world, he doesn't believe in a personal God.
Award Nominations
Safin was nominated for ESPY Awards for Best Tennis Player – Male in 2001 and 2005.
