When I piped up a few days ago claiming to be a fairly knowledgeable Marat Safin fan, being asked to write up an entry for TW on Marat's chances at the US Open was the last thing I expected.

Though at times this year his play has been underwhelming, the ever enigmatic and entertaining Marat Safin has been able to use his 2009 campaign as an opportunity to say goodbye to the world of ...