Born in Moscow on 27th January 1980, Marat was introduced to tennis at a very early age. His mother, Rausa, was a former top 10 Russian who used to take baby Marat with her when she practiced at the local tennis club.
He had picked up his racket almost as soon as he could walk and at five was hitting balls alongside a toddling1 Anna Kournikova2, another member of the same club until 1992.
When Marat was 13 his parents decided to see if they could send him abroad, realizing that he could not fulfill his potential3 using the poor facilities4 of the Russian tennis federation5.
In that year Marat's parents managed to send him to get training in a specialist tennis academy in Valencia6. For four years Marat lived in Valencia, studying at the tennis academy as well as working on his great clay court skills and learning the Spanish language (which he now speaks perfectly).
Turning Pro in 1997, he was named ATP7 Newcomer of the Year in 1998, and ATP Most Improved player at the end of the year 2000. He's won a considerable number of tournaments up to now, his biggest title being the 2000 US Open. Since then, he feels the pressure of being known as one of the world's top players. Early this year, Marat Safin won the Australia Open men's final, ending Lleyton Hewitt's bid8 to become the first Australian in 30 years to take the title.
After the Australia Open, Marat flew up to Moscow with his new girlfriend Dasha Zhukova — she is amazingly sweet and intelligent. Absolutely nothing in the style of “typical” models. Seems like Marat is seriously in love — and, possibly, this can explain his new energy on the court. Before Dasha Zhukova, Marat made some beautiful girlfriends. He is a handsome and charming man and has a lot to do with women.
萨芬1980年1月27日出生在莫斯科，幼年时就开始接触网球。他母亲劳莎曾经是俄罗斯排名前10位的网球运动员，她在当地俱乐部训练时经常带小萨芬一起去。
萨芬刚开始走路就拿起了网球拍，5岁的时候开始和蹒跚学步的库尔尼科娃一起练球，库尔尼科娃也是这家网球俱乐部的成员，这样一直持续到1992年。
萨芬13岁的时候，父母意识到俄罗斯网球联盟糟糕的设施不能够充分发挥萨芬的网球潜能，于是决定送他去国外。
那年，萨芬父母送他到西班牙巴伦西亚的一家专业网球学校接受网球训练。萨芬在巴伦西亚呆了4年，在网球学校学习期间，他一边苦练红土球场上的球技，一边学习西班牙语（如今他的西班牙语非常地道）。
1997年，萨芬成了职业球员，1998年获得职业网球协会（ATP）的年度新人奖，2000年末又获得了ATP最快进步奖。到今天，他赢得了许多锦标赛冠军，其中最重要的是2000年的美国网球公开赛冠军。打那以后，他感觉到了作为一名世界顶级网球运动员所面临的种种压力。
2005年初，萨芬获得了澳大利亚网球公开赛男子冠军。休伊特曾想一举夺得这项冠军，成为30年来第一个得此殊荣的澳大利亚人，然而萨芬的胜利粉碎了休伊特的梦想。
澳大利亚网球公开赛后，萨芬带着新交的女朋友达莎·祖卡娃飞回莫斯科，达莎甜美、聪明，全然没有一般“模特”的作派。这次萨芬好像动了真情，也许这可以解释他在球场的勇猛表现。在达莎之前，萨芬交了一些漂亮的女朋友，他英俊、迷人，很有女人缘。
An Interview
萨芬面对面
Q:Everybody agrees you are good-looking. Which part do you think you look the greatest? Do you think the fans like you due to your appearance?
A:I think the fans like me because I play pretty good. I don't know if I'm good- looking, you know, I'm a man and I don't always look into the mirror, and I don't care much about how I look by the way.
Q: How are you going to rank the following: Family, tennis, friends, girlfriend, beer.
A: (Safin looks at Sylvia9 who sits quite far apart at once and then smiles) My girlfriend is here, I can't say she is not number one. Actually, Family is number one, including my girlfriend, friends then, tennis, and beer the last.
Q: Do you drink beer every day? You are not afraid of getting pumped10?
A: Yep, Qingdao beer, I drink it almost everyday, I like its taste. I am not easy to get fat.
Q: Have you got any plans to get married?
And how many children do you want to have?
A: I'll maybe get married at 25, or even 30 or 35, I can't say when I should get married. I won't get married until I feel I would like to, which means I am ready to be a father. I like children so much that I think I am going to have at least 2 children. However, it is not good to have the life I have now (running around the world to play tennis) when I have children, so I must think carefully in advance.
Q: You knew Anna Kournikova when you two were still young. Kournikova now earns a lot apart from playing tennis. As beautiful as you are, have you ever thought to follow her footsteps?
A: Boys and girls are different. Girls can easily be the people's focus because of how beautiful they are, and there are not many beautiful women tennis players after all. But there are many charming guys in the men's tennis world, look at Rafter11, Philippoussis12 and Haas13. I have earned enough from playing tennis and it is unnecessary to find other stuff to do apart from this. I don't feel like doing ads, making films or some kind of self-promotion. There used to be people asking me to do these things in Moscow but I declined them. Fans can go to the tennis courts supporting me if they want to see me.
Q: Fame and wealth, which is more important to you?
A: Neither compared to good health. I have been injured, which makes me learn how important it is to have good health. Without a healthy body, how can I earn fame and wealth from tennis?
Q: Many people say you are the successor14 of Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. Whose successor would you want to be? Pete or Andre?
A: I think “Successor of Sampras” is more applicable to me since both of us are low-profiled. You can see Agassi on TV and magazines while Sampras only concentrates on playing tennis.
问：大家都觉得你长得很帅，你觉得你哪部分长得最好看？你觉得球迷喜欢你是因为你的长相吗？
答：我想大家喜欢我是因为我球打得好。我不知道我算不算帅，你想，我是个男人，不能老是去照镜子，再说我不在乎自己的长相。
问：下面几项你是如何排名的：家庭、网球、朋友、女朋友、啤酒？
答：（萨芬看了看女朋友西尔维亚，她坐在距离较远的地方，萨芬笑了笑）我女朋友在这儿，我会说她排在第一。实际上，家庭最重要，这其中包括女朋友，接下来是朋友和网球，啤酒最后。
问：你每天喝啤酒吗？你就不怕胖得跑不动？
答：是啊，青岛啤酒，几乎每天都喝，我喜欢它的味道。我不容易发胖。
问：你打算结婚吗？你想要几个孩子？
答：我也许会25岁结婚，甚至30或35岁。我不知道我什么时候会结婚。我要到想结婚的时候才结婚，这意味着我做好了为人父的准备。我很喜欢小孩，我想我至少要两个孩子。然而，有了孩子就不可以像我现在这样满世界打网球，所以我要事先考虑清楚。
问：很小的时候，你就认识库尔尼科娃，她除了打网球外还挣了不少钱。凭你的相貌，是不是考虑过也学学她？
答：男孩和女孩不一样，女孩长得漂亮会很容易成为关注的焦点，毕竟网球选手漂亮的不多，但是长得帅的男网球运动员就很多，像拉夫特、菲利普西斯、哈斯。打网球我已经赚了很多的钱，不需要再做什么别的，我不想拍广告、拍电影或做其他自我推销的事情。以前在莫斯科有人找过我，但我拒绝了。球迷如果希望看到我，他们可以到球场去为我加油。
问：名声和财富，哪个对你更重要？
答：和健康的身体相比，两者都不重要。我曾经受过伤，这让我明白健康是多么重要。没有健康的身体，如何靠打球获得名声和财富？
问：很多人说你是桑普拉斯和阿加西的接班人，你更愿当谁的接班人？桑普拉斯还是阿加西？
答：我想是桑普拉斯，这更实际一些，因为我和他都比较低调。你可以在电视、杂志上看到阿加西，而桑普拉斯只专心打球。
1. toddle v． 蹒跚学步
2． Anna Kournikova 安娜·库尔尼科娃，著名的网坛美少女。
3． potential n． 潜力
4． facility n． [复] 设施
5． federation n． 联合会，联盟
6． Valencia 巴伦西亚，西班牙第三大城市。
7． Association of Tennis Professionals 职业网球协会
8． bid [bid] n． 企图
9． Sylvia 萨芬当时的女朋友。
10． pump v． 使疲惫，使喘不过气