Retired star Marat Safin will become the first Russian to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The 35-year-old is a former world number one and claimed 15 ATP men’s singles titles and two Grand Slams over the course of a glittering career.
Safin was nominated as a possible Hall of Fame inductee alongside Belgium’s Justine Henin and the Czech Republic’s Helena Sukova last October.
Becoming a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame is deemed the highest honor in the sport, and Safin is set to take his place alongside some of the game’s greats.
About The Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame is based in the US city of Newport, Rhode Island, and has operated since 1954.
About Safin
Safin, who retired from professional tennis in 2009, was also part of the Russia team that won the Davis Cup in 2002 and 2006, overcoming France and Argentina in the respective finals.
Since retiring from the sport, Safin has taken to politics and was elected to the Russian parliament as a member of Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party in December 2011, representing the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Safin’s official Hall of Fame induction ceremony is set to take place on July 16.
Current Affairs: 15th January, 2016 Current Affairs Round up December, 2015.
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