Safin remembered as gifted but erratic

By Gennady Fyodorov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Marat Safin, widely regarded as one of the most gifted players of his generation, brought down the curtain on a chequered career when he bowed out to U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in the Paris Masters.

Safin's swansong in the second round on Wednesday came against a player whose career resembled his own in many ways. Like the Argentine, Safin won his first major title at the U.S. Open at the same age, nine years ago.

Typically, the volatile Russian did not go quietly, criticizing fellow former world number one Andre Agassi this week for revealing his past drug use in his autobiography.

"He feels guilty? So let him just give back his titles, money, his grand slams," Safin, 29, said of the American.

Unlike many of his contemporaries who numb the crowds with endless baseline rallies, the gifted Muscovite could never be accused of being boring, whether he was winning or losing.

He dazzled fans the world over with his artistry and antics, which included smashing rackets and dropping his shorts on court after conjuring up a spectacular winner.

Some will remember Safin, well-known for his lavish lifestyle and night-time escapades, for filling the players' box with a bevy of so-called "blondies" at the 2002 Australian Open.

However, many others, including Russian tennis guru Shamil Tarpishchev, felt that Safin wasted most of an enormous talent that could have won him a lot more than two grand slam crowns.

Tarpishchev even suggested Safin could have become a dominant force in the game for years to come, comparing him to Michael Jordan, Michael Schumacher and Tiger Woods in their respective sports.

"He had power, agility, speed, everything you need to be a great athlete; not only in tennis," said Tarpishchev, who had followed Safin's career since he started out at Spartak Moscow's tennis school at the age of 10. "Unfortunately, he had the talent but not the desire to be number one."

CAREFREE TEENAGER

Safin burst on to the tennis scene as a carefree teenager in 2000, winning seven titles that year -- the most on the ATP Tour -- including a shock, straight-sets victory over Pete Sampras in the U.S. Open final.

Following his breakthrough in New York, many predicted Safin would win more grand slam titles but he collected only one more, at the 2005 Australian Open.

Safin, who won 15 singles titles, rated his triumph at Melbourne Park as his greatest achievement.

"When I arrived for the 2000 U.S. Open, nobody knew me basically," he told Reuters last month. "Even playing in the final against Sampras I had no pressure whatsoever and everything just fell into place for me.