Marat Safin, one of the most colorful figures in tennis, said on Monday he was considering his future in the game after his first round loss at the Paris Masters Series.
"I need to enjoy my life without tennis, I will see if I continue," the 28-year-old Russian told reporters after losing 0-6, 6-7 (4) to Argentine qualifier Juan Monaco.
"I need to think it through. I will see, it was too intense these last three years. We will see. I have no pressure, nothing to show, nothing to prove.
"If I feel like I want to continue to play, I will. If not, it will be over. For the moment, I just need to rest."
Safin, who reached the world No. 1 spot following his US Open victory in 2000, is widely regarded as one of the most gifted players on the tour.
However, he won only one more grand slam, the Australian Open in 2005, which was the last of his 15 titles overall, as he squandered career opportunities due to a hot temper and, more recently, injuries.
Safin, who has been out of the top 10 since January 2006, has a propensity to throw matches away and Monday's encounter with Monaco was no exception.
The Russian, who is 31st in the ATP rankings, had already lost the first set and smashed a racket on the court.
He then served four double faults in the opening game of the second set as Monaco opened a 2-0 lead. The Russian broke back to level to 2-2 but lost the set to stumble out of a tournament he has won three times.
"I had my opportunities but unfortunately it was a bit too late already because the guy started to play well and started to feel much more comfortable on the court," said Safin.
"I didn't take my chances, that's why the score is 6-0 7-6."
Safin will not improve his position in the rankings and it is no secret he does not feel comfortable with the situation.
"It's a little bit uncomfortable to find yourself in the top 10 for many years and (then) to find yourself ranked 70th and 30 and 50 and outside of the hundreds," he said.
"It's not really a comfortable position. I've been struggling throughout my career with injuries, left and right," he added, referring to knee injuries that hampered his 2005 and 2006 seasons.
Although he does not yet know whether he will play professional tennis next year, Safin already knows where he will spend his holidays.
"Yeah, I'm already flying to Miami," he said.
(Agencies via Shanghai Daily October 29, 2008)