Marat Safin should put his whole heart into playing tennis or quit, his top-ranked sister Dinara Safina advised on Monday. Former world number one Safin has failed to win back-to-back matches in nine of his last 10 tournaments, often perishing despite being in a winning position.
The 29-year-old was knocked out of last week's Rome Masters in the first round by Tommy Robredo after throwing away a 6-2 4-1 lead and Safina suggested her brother should hang up his rackets immediately if he is unable to turn around his form. "He knows he's going to retire (at the end of) this year, so it's tough," Safina told reporters at the Italian Open on Monday. "I would say that if you want to retire, either you do it or you play. He doesn't. So he should make a decision if he wants to play or if he wants to retire.