Former ATP world no. 1 Marat Safin had two life altering experiences in Peru, which he discussed in a long interview with Blair Henley for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
When he was still a young teenager, Safin was sent by a Russian sponsor to train at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, FL. While there for two months, Safin and a team of Bollettieri juniors went to Peru for a tournament. “I made finals,” said Safin. “I lost to Luis Horna, a good player, top 25 ATP. Nick turned me down for a scholarship twice. It didn’t work out. My sponsor sent me to Spain to develop my skills.”
The years of training in Valencia, Spain built Safin into a powerhouse of a player. By the age of 18, Safin was playing Challengers in 1998. He neared the top 100 in the rankings and played a Davis Cup match for Russia against USA in Atlanta, falling to Andre Agassi 36 36 36. But a few months later, as a qualifier Safin met Agassi again in the first round of Roland Garros. Safin would beat Agassi in five sets, 57 75 62 36 62. That win and then an upset of former champion Gustavo Kuerten changed Safin’s career and life. “When I beat Andre Agassi at Roland Garros 1998 it was a breakthrough for me, that moment I became a real tennis player. My journey began there.”
Two years later the 20 year Safin won the US Open vs Pete Sampras in the final and became World no. 1. He added another major title in 2005 by winning the Australian Open title. After fifteen ATP singles titles, Safin retired in 2009 and like many superstar tennis icons, he felt confused about his future post-life tennis.
“I had some internal questions and then some people said, Okay, take a trip to Peru. I think some of the people watching us understand what Peru means when you have some inner questions. So you go to Peru and you start to unwrap yourself, deal with your internal problems. And you start to work on yourself and then you can see results and then you continue. I’m happy each time. It’s a path, not a goal. Not one time you’re gonna fix everything. I see how my life is improving, the way I think I’m improved and more understanding. So I think it works, it’s not for everybody obviously but for many people it can be helpful,” said Safin.
“It’s an individual, intimate thing. Let’s talk about for example, deal with fear, phobias, anxiety. You need to ask the internal questions. You have to choose to answer these questions. This is how it works. Then once you understand the mechanism of how it’s working, the process teaches you to discover yourself.”
Peruvian territory was home to several cultures during the ancient and medieval periods, and has one of the longest histories of civilization of any country, tracing its heritage back to the 10th millennium BCE Caral–Supe civilization, the earliest civilization in the Americas and considered one of the cradles of civilization. Peru wiki page link
Marat Safin · Nick Bollettieri · Peru · Russia · US Open
Sam · October 23, 2025 at 3:55 am
Although this topic is interesting, I would’ve preferred a lot more detail from Safin about how he “found himself” twice in Peru. Unfortunately, his comments here just seem like so much generic fluff. 🤡
Scoop Malinowski · October 23, 2025 at 8:19 am
Safin is a very smart guy, he knows how to bamboozle the media with BS ) He’s also a very private person who definitely didn’t enjoy all the media attention his talents, intelligence, quirks, charisma and good looks attracted.
Sam · November 2, 2025 at 4:03 am
Safin is a very smart guy, he knows how to bamboozle the media with BS )
And they just seem to eat it right up! 🤤
He’s also a very private person who definitely didn’t enjoy all the media attention his talents, intelligence, quirks, charisma and good looks attracted.
Well, I can definitely respect that.
Scoop Malinowski · November 2, 2025 at 7:51 am
I like Safin a lot, very nice, I interviewed him at US Open locker room when he was 18 and after he made his breakout that year, he beat Kuerten and Agassi at FO. Very nice, then two years later he beat Pete in the US Open final. Very kind person, I remember a Japanese reporter asking him to explain how to hit a backhand and he kindly did it for her and her video team, wish I paid more attention to that, he had one of the best backhands ever. He gave a thorough analysis lesson for her, while some players would have blew her off with some BS.
Sam · November 11, 2025 at 3:17 am
Good to hear that Safin has some excellent people skills.
Scoop Malinowski · November 11, 2025 at 8:18 am
For sure he does but I think he’s also a private guy too and needs solitude too.