Luis Rubiales had been suspended by Spanish sports regulators and FIFA after he smooched a female player

Luis Rubiales, the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, has resigned in scandal after kissing a female player on the lips – apparently without her consent. He has already been suspended by FIFA, and could soon also face legal action, with several criminal complaints having been filed against him.

Appearing on Piers Morgan Uncensored on Sunday, Rubiales explained that he was stepping down “cause I cannot continue my work.” The former football boss revealed that his family and close friends had advised him to do so.

The federation confirmed that same day that Rubiales “has presented his resignation tonight,” adding that “he also resigns from his position as vice president of UEFA.”

Last week, prosecutor Marta Durantez Gil filed a complaint against Rubiales in Spain’s High Court, arguing that there could be grounds to charge him with sexual assault and coercion.

The football player at the center of the scandal, Jenni Hermoso, lodged a criminal complaint of her own around the same time.

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The Spanish High Court previously indicated that the former football executive could face up to four years behind bars, if found guilty of sexual assault.

Late last month, the global football governing body, FIFA, suspended Rubiales for 90 days, banning him from participating in events at the national and international level, pending disciplinary proceedings against him.

Spanish sports authorities also suspended the then federation president.

The incident in question took place on August 20 in Sydney, Australia, after the Spanish women’s team beat England 1-0, winning the World Cup for the first time in its history.

Rubiales grabbed Hermoso by the head and kissed her on the lips during an award ceremony that followed.

The football executive at first insisted the kiss was “spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consensual.”

Hermoso, however, said the interaction made her feel “vulnerable and like the victim of a sexual assault.” She added that Rubiales’ “impulsive, macho act” occurred with “no type of consent on my part.”

Despite mounting criticism, the former federation president initially dug in his heels and refused to step down, claiming that he had fallen victim to a “witch hunt” by “false feminists.”

However, he did apologize for his behavior, describing it as a “mistake.”

Benjamin Garre has signed a contract with Russia’s Krylia Sovetov soccer club for three and a half years

An Argentinian professional soccer player, Benjamin Garre, has declared his intention to apply for Russian citizenship just months after signing a contract with the Krylia Sovetov club based in the Russian city of Samara.

The soccer star first told the club director, Sergey Kornilenko, about his plans, Russia’s Match TV sports channel reported this week. In a talk with the channel, Garre confirmed his intention. "I might spend many years in this country. I've only been here a month, but I'm already feeling great!" he said.

"I want to get a [Russian] passport, and I am ready to spend many years in Russia," he added. Last week, his agent, Emilio Champion, told Match TV that he was helping the soccer player get all the necessary documents for Russian citizenship.

"We are still gathering all the necessary papers... That will take some time to fulfill all the [Russian] government requirements," Champion said. Earlier, Champion also said that Garre was likely to give up his Argentinian citizenship to get the Russian one.

Garre is the grandson of the 1986 FIFA World Cup champion, Oscar Garre. In 2015, the young soccer player became the bronze medalist of the 2015 South American Championship for players under the age of 15.

READ MORE: Action movie icon says he’s ‘million percent’ Russian

In 2016, he signed with the English club Manchester City. In 2020, he returned to Argentina and joined the Racing Club de Avellaneda before moving to Club Atletico Huracan on loan. In January, he moved to Krylia Sovetov as part of a transfer worth €1.75 million ($1.92 million).

Magnus Carlsen won’t defend his title, leaving China’s Ding Liren to face Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi in Astana for the chess crown

Russia and China have been making headlines of late for their deepening bilateral ties, but for three weeks in April, two men from these respective countries will be locked in a fierce battle for the ultimate prize in professional chess – the title of world champion. 

Admittedly, a bit of the air was taken out of this year’s event when five-time reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway declined to defend his title – a crown he maintained with a convincing victory over the same Nepomniachtchi in Dubai two years ago. 

RT previews what is in store for this year’s duel and takes a peek into the rarified world of top-level chess. 

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The what, when, and where of the championship match

The next world champion of chess will be crowned at the conclusion of a 14-game match with classical time controls to be held over three weeks at the St. Regis Astana Hotel in Astana, Kazakhstan. The opening ceremony will be on April 7, with the first game slated for April 9. 

If the players are tied after the 14 classical games, the champion will be decided in a series of tiebreaks with shorter time controls. Such an outcome would by no means be unprecedented: the 2018 World Championship match between Carlsen and American challenger Fabiano Caruana was decided by tiebreaks after all 12 classical games ended in draws. 

Vying for the title will be 32-year-old Ian Nepomniachtchi from Russia, who will be competing under the flag of the world chess federation (FIDE), and 30-year-old Ding Liren from China. 

Nepomniachtchi is making his second consecutive appearance in the championship match, having taken on Magnus Carlsen in Dubai in 2021. He qualified for this year’s event by winning the Candidates Tournament, a grueling double round-robin tournament featuring eight of the top players in the world. 

Ding finished second to Nepomniachtchi in the Candidates Tournament but qualified to take on the Russian in Astana when Carlsen announced that he would not be defending his title. 

Nepomniachtchi and Ding are ranked number two and three in the world FIDE rankings, respectively. The head-to-head record is three wins for Nepomniachtchi, two for Ding and eight draws. 

The time control for the 14 classical games will be 120 minutes per side for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with 30 seconds added for each move starting on move 61. 

The hefty €2 million prize fund for the match will be split 60% and 40% between the winner and runner-up.

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Where is Magnus?

On July 20, 2022, following the conclusion of the Candidates Tournament, Magnus Carlsen, the reigning world champion and the globe’s top-ranked player for over a decade, announced on his podcast that he would not be defending his title. 

“I am not motivated to play another match. I simply feel that I don’t have a lot to gain, I don’t particularly like it, and although I’m sure a match would be interesting for historical reasons and all of that, I don’t have any inclination to play and I will simply not play the match,” the world champion said. 

Although Carlsen’s announcement sent reverberations throughout the chess world, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. The Norwegian had previously expressed his dissatisfaction with the format of the championship and hinted that he might decline to participate. 

Nearly all chess commentators acknowledge that Carlsen’s withdrawal takes a bit of the luster away from an event that has been held 48 times in various formats since its induction in 1886 – with the world’s number one player taking part in all but a few of them. 

Carlsen first became world champion in 2013, defeating India’s Viswanathan Anand. He successfully defended his title in 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2021. 

The cast of characters

Nepomniachtchi grew up in the Russian city of Bryansk and learned to play chess at the age of four with the help of his grandfather. His prodigious talent became apparent early on and he quickly rose through the junior ranks. In 2000, he won the Under 10 European Championship and proceeded to garner several more European and world youth titles. However, Nepomniachtchi is a man with broad interests – including being a professional-level Dota 2 player – and for a long time he opted not to devote himself entirely to chess. 

As a result, for many years he was considered a very strong grandmaster but not among the absolute elite. In 2013, when the 23-year-old Carlsen won his first world championship, the 23-year old Nepomniachtchi finished the year ranked just 29th in the world.

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He had earned a reputation as being perhaps the least hardworking player among the top 20 or so. However, approaching his 30th birthday, Nepomniachtchi changed his approach, improved his work ethic, and eradicated much of the inconsistency that dogged him earlier in his career. The results soon followed and the Russian catapulted into the exclusive group of players with designs on a world title. 

Ding hails from the Chinese city of Wenzhou and has accumulated an impressive set of accolades over his career. However, his more private nature and minimal visibility in the media and online blogosphere have kept him somewhat under the radar of many chess fans. 

The Chinese grandmaster posted impressive showings at the Youth World Championships in 2003 and 2004. However, he burst onto the scene in earnest in 2009 by going undefeated to win the Chinese Chess Championship at the age of 16, defeating two strong grandmasters, Wang Hao and Ni Hua, in the process. The tournament was also where Ding secured his final grandmaster norm, thus earning the sport’s most prestigious title short of world champion.  

Ding’s rise thereafter was steady if not meteoric. In 2015, he broke into the world top ten, becoming only the second Chinese player to accomplish that feat. In 2017-18, he put together a run of 100 straight games without a loss, a record streak at top-level chess at the time (Carlsen would subsequently shatter it by reaching 125).

During the pandemic, however, Ding was often caught up in lockdowns in his hometown of Wenzhou and his chess suffered. He was on the verge of missing the 2022 Candidates Tournament to determine the contenders for the World Championship match having not played enough games to qualify. 

The rules state that a player must have played 30 rated FIDE games over the past year – and no exceptions were in store for players hailing from lockdown-ridden China. Ding had played only four with around a month to go before the deadline. In a bid to make the country’s top player eligible, the Chinese Chess Federation hastily organized several tournaments for Ding to play. He completed the punishing month-long quest with panache, notching 13 victories, 15 draws, and not a single defeat. 

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In the Candidates Tournament, Ding went on to finish in second – trailing only Nepomniachtchi. When Carlsen announced his intention not to defend his title, Ding was vaulted into the match for chess supremacy. 

The grueling sport of chess

Elite professional chess is a world apart from the leisurely ‘café and coffee’ board game played for centuries by amateurs. It is a sport that takes an enormous physical toll on those who compete at the top level. 

In fact, in explaining his decision to bow out of the 2023 title match, Carlsen also cited the stress and mental and physical toll of training for and playing a world championship match.  

In addition to the enormous amount of preparation that goes into such a match, the actual games themselves can be tremendously exhausting. 

It is by no mistake of terminology that chess is called a sport. In 2018, a US-based company tracked the heart rates of chess players during a tournament. They found that in two hours of sitting and shuffling chess pieces around the board, Russian grandmaster Mikhail Antipov had burned 560 calories – roughly what a professional tennis player would burn in an hour of a singles match. 

The 2021 match between Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi featured what turned out to be the longest game ever in the 135-year history of the World Chess Championship. Game six between the two men lasted an astonishing seven hours and forty-five minutes, and concluded after Nepomniachtchi resigned in a lost position following Carlsen’s 136th move.

Stanford University researcher Robert Sapolsky, one of whose fields of study is stress in primates, believes that “grandmasters sustain elevated blood pressure for hours in the range found in competitive marathon runners.” Some chess players lose a noticeable amount of weight during competitions, sometimes as much as 4-5 kg during a ten-day tournament. 

Russian grandmaster and former world champion Anatoly Karpov reportedly lost about 10kg over the five-month-long World Chess Championship match in 1984 against Kasparov. Much as a boxing referee may halt a bloody slugfest to save the fighters from serious injury, the 1984 contest was called off after 48 games, with the head of the international chess federation saying that the match had “exhausted the physical, if not the psychological, resources of not only the participants but of all those associated with the match.”

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“He looked like death,” grandmaster and commentator Maurice Ashley recalled about Karpov’s appearance. 

The format of requiring six wins to clinch victory in the match – meaning an open-ended number of games would be needed – was abandoned after the 1984 event, which saw 40 of the 48 games end in a draw. 

Applying supercomputers to an ancient game

Ever since the Deep Blue chess computer defeated world champion Garry Kasparov in a match in 1996, computers have played an increasingly important role in chess. These days, the most powerful chess programs – called ‘engines’ – are capable of defeating even the top humans. Elite players run extensive computer analysis on chess positions and use engines to develop massive databases of opening moves and responses to parry common opening setups played by their opponents. 

Because the number of possible moves in a chess game exceeds the number of atoms estimated to exist in the universe, powerful computers are much more efficiently able to parse through the myriad of possible transformations of any given chess position. 

Computers are now an essential component in the toolkit of even amateur players, but the pros have taken it much further, employing supercomputers and sophisticated AI-powered engines. 

Nepomniachtchi has been at the forefront of taking advantage of such capabilities. Prior to the 2020-21 Candidates Tournament, Nepomniachtchi’s team reached out to the researchers at Moscow’s Skolkovo Institute of Technology in order to adapt a number of existing chess engines for an AI-based supercomputer cluster. 

The researchers agreed to help and allocated the Zhores supercomputer for his use. Zhores was designed for scientific research into machine learning and artificial intelligence but was adapted to allow Nepomniachtchi to evaluate tens of millions of chess positions per second.

After winning the 2021 Candidates Tournament, the Russian grandmaster credited the cutting-edge machine for augmenting his preparation in the opening phase of the game.  

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“It can’t harm my chances,” he said. “And this particular supercomputer, because it is a huge data center which can be used for scientific research, is hopefully more effective than others.”  

Of course, top-level chess being fiercely competitive, all the best players have access to something similar. However, having a computer that can calculate faster and potentially see deeper than others offers the possibility of developing some kind of surprise in the opening. Given the extremely small margin of error in elite games, which are played on a knife’s edge, a well-planned novelty can be employed to devastating effect. 

“You’re more sure that your analysis is good when you see 500 million node positions than, say 100 million,” Nepomniachtchi said. 

So who is expected to win? 

The majority of the chess commentators see Nepomniachtchi and Ding as fairly evenly matched. 

Financial Times chess writer Leonard Barden called Nepomniachtchi’s recent career record “slightly more convincing” and expects the Russian to win. 

Former world champion Garry Kasparov called both “very good players” and said picking between the two was “a very, very close call” before concluding that “Nepo [Nepomniachtchi’s nickname] has a slight edge though Ding is more stable than Nepo.” 

The betting odds, according to Forbes magazine, are roughly 50-50. 

The 27-year-old tennis player is the second Russian to win the tournament

Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev topped the ATP race for best player of the season after winning the Miami Open on Sunday.

The 27-year-old player from Moscow beat Italy’s Jannik Sinner, collecting his fifth ATP Masters 1000 title. Medvedev is only the second Russian to win the Florida tournament after Nikolay Davydenko’s 2008 victory.

“I’m really happy. Today was a tough match. It was probably the hottest day and the most humid during the day,” Medvedev, who is currently ranked No. 4 in the world, said after the 7-5, 6-3 win against Sinner. “The hands get a little shaky so the serve is a little bit tougher... I managed to get myself together and close the match.”

Medvedev’s triumph in Miami comes after winning tournaments in Rotterdam, Doha, and Dubai, and finishing second at the Indian Wells Open in California.

READ MORE: Wimbledon reluctantly lifts Russia and Belarus ban

Unlike many international sports federations, the ATP allows athletes from Russia to participate in its events. Russian athletes have been barred from most global tournaments following the launch of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine early last year.

Medvedev told reporters in Florida he is happy that Russian and Belarusian players were recently allowed to compete again at Wimbledon after a one-year ban.

From ice hockey to gymnastics, Russian athletes have created numerous signature moves down the years

Russian athletes have undoubtedly made their mark on sports worldwide – so much so that some moves in their chosen disciplines have been named in their honor because of the way they popularized or introduced them. Here, we look at five sports moves named after Russian stars.

‘The Datsyuk Flip’ – ice hockey

Known as the ‘Magic Man’ for the way he handled his stick to pull off some unfathomable moves, Pavel Datsyuk was one of the biggest names in hockey in the 2000s and enjoyed a 15-year career in the elite NHL with the Detroit Red Wings before returning to his homeland.

Datsyuk will forever be a legend in the Motor City for his contributions to Stanley Cup titles in 2002 and 2008, but his participation on this list came after heroics in 2010.

Taking the first shot of a shootout against the Red Wings’ bitter rivals the Chicago Blackhawks in a January regular season game, Datsyuk made a mockery of opposition goaltender Antti Niemi. 

Gliding up to the Finn down the middle, Datsyuk did a slight ‘dirty dangle’ that he was famous for, then quickly flicked his wrist to make it appear as if he would backhand his effort. Instead, the Russian scooped the puck with the inside of his stick into the net.

Datsyuk’s audacity understandably sent the Joe Louis Arena into rapture, as well as his teammates. “They can’t believe it on the Red Wings bench,” said one elated commentator. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a slow-mo play like that.”

While Niemi and the Blackhawks had the last laugh that season as he became the first Finnish goalie to win the Stanley Cup, he is often remembered for being on the wrong end of Datsyuk’s trick shot.

The move became immortalized as the ‘Datsyuk Flip’, with hockey enthusiasts attempting to pull it off on the popular NHL video game to this day.

On a side note, the ‘Datsyuk deke’ wasn’t too shoddy either. Again produced in a shootout, it led one pundit to ask: “How many does he have in his repertoire?”

‘The Khorkina’ – artistic gymnastics (uneven bars)

Svetlana Khorkina burst onto the global stage with a pair of silver medals at the 1994 World Championships in Brisbane, not long after her 15th birthday. Two years later, she enjoyed gold-medal success in the uneven bars at the Atlanta Olympics, bouncing back brilliantly after suffering initial disappointment with a 15th-place finish in the all-around final.

The comeback ushered in one of the most revered artistic gymnastics careers of all time, with further high points including another Olympic gold medal and 20 World Championship medals as Khorkina became the first gymnast in history to win three all-around world titles.

Khorkina’s main specialties were the uneven bars and balance beam, and she left a legacy with at least nine moves named after her mainly in those disciplines, in addition to a few spread across floor exercises and the vault.

The first couple – the Khorkina and the Khorkina 2 – come in the uneven bars and involve half-turn hangs. In the former, Khorkina started with a back uprise and then made a straddle flight over the high bar. In the latter, she had inner front support on the low bar, formed a clear hip circle to handstand, then impressively half-turned in full flight to hang on the high bar. There is another move called the Khorkina-Chow or Chow-Khorkina, which was first performed by Amy Chow and is a Stadler one-and-a-half pirouette.

In the 1, 2 and 3 balance beam moves named after her, Khorkina dismounted the apparatus and performed either a full twist, a gainer two-and-a-half twist, or gainer triple twist. In the Khorkina 1 and 2 moves on the vault, there were also plenty of twists and turns with ‘the Khorkina’ in the floor exercise similarly involving a hop with one and a half turns.

Four of these skills are currently listed in the Code of Points (CoP), with Khorkina previously holding the record for the most eponym moves (nine) before some of them were removed ahead of the 2022-2024 quad as part of a regular CoP update.

‘The Besti Squat’ – figure skating

Natalia Bestemianova was a Soviet figure-skating icon who, while overseen by legendary coach Tatiana Tarasova, made her name in the 1980s alongside her partner Andrei Bukin as a four-time world and five-time European champion.

After suffering silver-medal disappointment at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, she finally struck gold in Calgary four years later. 

It was throughout 1988 that ‘the Besti Squat,’ unofficially named after Bestemianova, gained prominence as she used it repeatedly in her free dance with Bukin. 

The move resembles the spread eagle, given that the skater who executes it glides along an edge with both skates on the ice.

The toes are turned out to the sides with the heels facing one another, and the knees are then bent outwards to a squatting position with the torso upright and thighs parallel to the ice.

While ‘the Besti Squat’ has become a popular move still used four decades later, not everyone approved of Bestemianova’s performances at the time. Reporting from the 1988 Winter Games, the New York Times claimed that Bestemianova and Bukin’s free dance program “suggested they might take the prize for vulgarity as well,” and that the endless debate as to whether ice dance is sport or art had come to a rest.

“Her aggressiveness did not agree with a submissive image and the pair's overall harsh style made no sense of the spliced-in moves – especially the spread eagle or plie,” it was stated.

Given that the routine landed her gold, however, it is doubtful that Bestemianova, who later became a TV personality on the Russian equivalent of ‘Dancing on Ice,’ cared too much.

The Moscow native was perhaps ahead of her time, with out-of-touch critics falling wide of the mark. 

‘The Karelin Lift’ – wrestling

Known as the ‘Russian Bear’, ‘Russian King Kong’, ‘the Experiment’, and ‘Alexander the Great’, Aleksandr Karelin retired in 2000 widely considered to be the greatest wrestler of all time – and among the most dominant athletes ever seen in any sport.

Karelin scooped gold at three consecutive Olympic Games from 1988-1996 and put together a monstrous 887-2 record. He claimed silver in his last Games in Sydney in 2000.

Such was Karelin’s dominance, there were inevitable claims that he used PEDs – although the athlete himself put his phenomenal record down to something else. “No one can completely believe that I am natural. The most important drug is to train like a madman – really like a madman. The people who accuse me are those who have never trained once in their life like I train every day of my life,” he once said.

Given his undisputed reign at the top of his sport, it should be no surprise that Karelin had a move named after him. Known as the ‘Karelin Lift,’ it saw him hold his hapless opponents in the air with his enormous reach and then body-slam them into the mat.

The reverse body lift frequently saw Karelin awarded five points when executed properly, which was the maximum in the sport. The move started while his foe was lying flat on his back on the mat. Once wrapped up in Karelin’s grasp, opponents found it impossible to wriggle free from a  grip described as “anaconda-like.”

While it had long been used, Karelin made the lift his own. He was the first heavyweight to add it to his arsenal and wowed the wrestling world by demonstrating it on opponents weighing up to 130kg (285lbs).

‘The Kabaeva’ – rhythmic gymnastics

One of the most decorated gymnasts in the history of the rhythmic facet of the sport, Alina Kabaeva won Olympic gold in Athens in 2004 after disappointment in Sydney four years earlier, where she had been widely expected to win the all-around event as the reigning world champion but made a costly error.

Kabaeva boasts 14 World Championship medals and 21 at the European Championships from the late 90s and into the 2000s, but her contributions to her discipline go beyond any silverware amassed since becoming European champion as a 15-year-old prodigy.

Kabaeva revolutionized rhythmic gymnastics by introducing new skills and moves. There are no fewer than four named after her, which have been given Roman numerals to distinguish them.

The ‘Kabaeva I’ is a ring leap she performed with both legs, but the ‘Kabaeva II’ is arguably her most famous, involving a backscale pivot from a standing or grounded position. 

Kabaeva was the first to perform the backscale pivot, but her other two moves (the ‘Kabaeva III and IV’) saw her balance with support from her chest and split with hand support.

The 39-year-old, who later ventured into politics, is still known as one of the most flexible athletes to ever grace the mats, and it’s not difficult to see why after a recap of the maneuvers she brought to the continental and global stage. 

Lev Yashin remains revered as a benchmark of goalkeeping excellence

The world of football was cast into mourning last December with the passing of Pele, one of the undisputed greats of the game. The death of the Brazilian legend led to tributes from far and wide, as fans reflected on the impact of a man who changed the face of his sport.

Russia was no exception, and the men’s national team paid its respects by sharing a poignant image of a smiling Pele. But alongside the legendary forward was another man who earned revered status as part of the same generation – the late, great Lev Yashin.

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While Pele made his name scoring goals, Yashin forged his reputation by preventing them. A shot-stopper unlike any who had come before him, the Russian remains a benchmark for goalkeeping brilliance, more than 50 years after he played his last game and over three decades after his death.

If Pele would be selected to spearhead the attack in many football fans’ all-time fantasy eleven, the name widely picked in goal would surely be Yashin.

Nicknamed ‘The Black Spider’, ‘The Black Octopus’, and ‘The Black Panther’ because of his feats of acrobatics and the color of his on-pitch attire – topped off with a trademark flat cap – Yashin was a pioneer as an imposing Soviet shot-stopper who enjoyed a storied 20-year career.

Such was his renown, Yashin gives his name to the title annually bestowed on the world’s best goalkeeper by the respected France Football magazine.

Monday, March 20, marks 33 years since Yashin’s passing at the age of 60, and will be a day when many reflect on the remarkable life and times of Russia’s greatest football idol.

Working class hero    

Born in Moscow on October 22, 1929, into a family of industrial workers, Yashin did not seem destined for footballing immortality. He was not yet a teenager when he started his own factory labors, helping the Russian effort during World War II. Yashin continued his factory work after the war, but suffered what was described as a “nervous breakdown” at age 18 as the experience took its toll. 

“Was it depression? I don’t know,” Yashin wrote in his autobiography. “The fatigue accumulated over the years began to make itself felt and something in me suddenly broke. At that time I felt nothing except emptiness.”

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Sport, however, was to be a vital outlet and would open up new opportunities for the young Yashin. Already a keen football and ice hockey player, he was advised by a teammate to volunteer for military service, something which he  described as his “salvation” as he combined football with his new duties.

After being scouted in 1949, Yashin was invited to join the youth ranks of Dynamo Moscow – one of the Russian capital’s powerhouse football clubs, which had caused a stir with a groundbreaking tour of the UK in 1945 during which the team impressively went unbeaten in four games against supposedly superior home opposition.

Yashin, however, was not to enjoy an auspicious start when he made his debut for Dynamo in 1950, letting in a soft goal that partly contributed to him only playing two league games that year. Also in his way was Alexei ‘Tiger’ Khomich, a revered figure who would keep Yashin out of the team during the early part of his career.

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Rather than seek a pathway to regular first-team football elsewhere, Yashin became hellbent on making it to the top at Dynamo. He even played as a goaltender for Dynamo’s ice hockey team, winning the Soviet Cup in 1953, showing his versatility as an all-round athlete.

“I ran, did the high jump, shot put, discus, took fencing lessons, had a go at boxing, diving, wrestling, skating, tried basketball, played ice hockey, water polo, and football. I spent my winters on skis and skates. I’m not sure what I was best at,” Yashin later recalled. 

Hitting the big time

Biding his time with his football career, Yashin finally managed to oust Khomich from the Dynamo starting eleven when the latter was injured in 1953. Yashin was to make the position his own, embarking on a glittering era for Dynamo which would ultimately yield five Soviet league titles – four of which came between 1954-59 – and three Soviet Cups.

Yashin’s initial success at Dynamo meant the Soviet national team soon came calling. He received his first international call-up in 1954 in a 7-0 win against Sweden, with the next four years truly providing his breakthrough to the big time with glory at Dynamo and gold with the USSR at the 1956 Olympics.

In 1958, an even bigger football audience took note of Yashin at the World Cup in Sweden. His ‘sweepers-keeper’ approach – since popularized again by the likes of Manuel Neuer, Alisson, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen – came to the forefront, as did his ability to read the game. 

Yashin crossed paths with a 17-year-old Pele and eventual champions Brazil in the group stage. Though the Selecao won 2-0, Yashin limited the South Americans’ account from growing through a string of top saves.

The USSR crashed out in the quarterfinals against the hosts, but Yashin was voted goalkeeper of the tournament, with journalists worldwide hailing him as the best in the game.

Two years later, he made up for heartache in Scandinavia by leading the Soviets to the title at the inaugural European Championships in France. The tournament in 1960 was then known as the European Nations Cup, and Yashin kept a clean sheet in the semifinal as the Soviet Union beat Czechoslovakia 3-0. 

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In the final at the Parc des Princes against Yugoslavia, Yashin saved two free-kicks before being beaten by a deflected shot that connected with his captain Igor Netto. In extra time, Yashin made vital interventions as Yugoslavia tried to equalize Viktor Ponedelnik's 113th-minute winner.

The celebrations were relatively tame in Paris, with runner-up Dragan Sekularac claiming that the “crowds in France wanted western European glamor, not mysterious teams from the other side of Europe” as he commented on the sparse attendance at a reception held at the Eiffel Tower. But upon their return to Moscow, the Soviet team was celebrated like heroes by over 100,000 of their compatriots at a victory parade held in the Central Lenin Stadium (now known as Luzhniki).

Bouncing back

Yashin’s heroics in Paris were the glory before a fall. At the 1962 World Cup, his errors against Colombia resulted in the game ending 4-4 before the highly fancied Soviets were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage once more by falling to hosts Chile 2-1. 

“I was in disbelief that I’d scored past the great Lev Yashin,” Eladio Rojas, who embraced the ‘keeper instead of his teammates, said years later. “I still am. I was overcome with excitement that all I wanted to do was hug him. Scoring past Yashin was like a trophy.”

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Yashin was made the scapegoat for the exit in Arica and was branded a “fading force” by L’Equipe. He would likely have been mentally tortured by Rojas and his blunders against Colombia, once posing: “What kind of a goalkeeper is one who is not tormented by a goal he has conceded?”

“He must be tormented! And if he is calm, that means the end. No matter what he had in the past, he has no future,” added Yashin, of whom it was later revealed had suffered a concussion in the match against Chile.

As all greats do, Yashin made a comeback for the ages by first leading Dynamo to another league title in 1963 and becoming the first and only goalkeeper ever to claim France Football’s Ballon d’Or for the best player in Europe. Yashin credited the spectacular saves he made during an England versus Rest of the World match at Wembley, where Pele was mysteriously absent, with prolonging his career and earning him the award months after the 2-1 loss in a game to mark 100 years of the English Football Association.

Considering it to be his greatest achievement at the time, Yashin officially received his Ballon d’Or ahead of a European Championship quarterfinal second leg against Sweden in May 1964, in a match the USSR won 3-1 in front of around 100,000 fans in Moscow. The Soviets would go on to reach the final of the tournament in Spain, but were edged out 2-1 by the hosts in Madrid.

Yashin’s international journey continued at the 1966 World Cup in England, though he missed the first two matches due to injury. After returning to action, he led the Soviets to a best-ever fourth place finish following a semifinal loss to West Germany. 

Hanging up his gloves

Completing two decades of loyal service to Dynamo and over a decade-and-a-half to his country, Yashin hung up his gloves in 1970 after traveling to his final World Cup in Mexico, where he acted as an assistant coach and third-choice back-up.

“I don’t know if one man has ever meant so much to one club,” said former Dynamo teammate Igor Chislenko, who along with Yashin was a rare breed as a one-club man.

But Yashin meant more to football than simply his allegiances to one club or country. At his testimonial in 1971, 103,000 fans reportedly turned out to see him play for Dynamo one last time against a European team captained by England and Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton. 

Pele and Eusebio were also present, and joined the throngs of respected figures that spoke with reverence of a man who bowed out after setting a record of more than 150 penalty saves (“the joy of seeing Yuri Gagarin flying in space is only superseded by the joy of a good penalty save,” Yashin once said) and keeping around 275 clean sheets.

“Someone once said that a team with Pele started [a game] with a 1-0 lead. A team with Yashin started winning 2-0,” Pele explained.

“He made me as a footballer. When you’re able to score against the greatest goalkeeper in the history of world football, you remember it for your whole life. You realize that you can score against anyone,” said Portuguese great Eusebio.

England’s 1966 World Cup winner Gordon Banks, regarded as one of the greatest shot-stoppers of all time, likewise hailed his Russian counterpart. “Lev Yashin was first-class, a real super goalkeeper. Everything he did was top-class. He was the model for goalkeeping for the next ten to 15 years,” Banks said.

“I visualized myself doing some of the things he was doing. Even though I was already playing in the top division, I used to learn from him.”

One of a kind

France Football agreed with Yashin’s undoubted influence, saying that he “revolutionized the role of goalkeeper like no other before him by always being ready to act as an extra defender,” and by “starting dangerous counter-attacks with his positioning and quick throws” after demonstrating his prowess through plucking crosses out of the sky.

One of the original ‘sweepers-keepers’, he was also renowned for commanding from the back, bellowing instructions to teammates while often out of his area and taking part in build-ups. He could expertly read the game, anticipating the opposition striker’s movement and where his shot was destined, and his long arms earned him the nickname ‘the Black Spider’ while helping him reach top-corner shots. Despite his somewhat lanky 6ft 2in frame, Yashin was known as agile and athletic.

The same France Football magazine which handed Yashin the Ballon d’Or in 1963 and named its goalkeeping award after him unsurprisingly picked the Russian in its all-time Dream Team in 2020. In November 2003, to mark UEFA’s jubilee, the Russian Football Union selected him as its most outstanding player of the last 50 years to compliment the Order of Lenin award he received in 1967 for his outstanding services to his country and people.

Yashin was a man of the people who fans always called by his first name, said his successor at Dynamo, Vladimir Pilguy. “To them, he was one of them like a brother or a friend. He used to walk home from matches with masses of fans – he’d let them carry his sports bag,” Pilguy added.

Yet contrary to belief, Yashin wasn’t always the model pro that people thought. “My secret? Before a game I would smoke a cigarette to calm my nerves and down a nice vodka to tone my muscles,” he once revealed.

Despite his achievements, Yashin reportedly fell out with Dynamo in his later years, and in particular with chairman Piotr Bogdanov who boasted political clout that allegedly made Yashin unable to leave the country due to routine refusals to grant his wife a visa. 

Monuments to an icon 

Nonetheless, Yashin remains a revered figure at the club. Its stadium is known as the VTB Arena for sponsorship purposes, but also bears Yashin’s name and his statue can be found outside it. Dynamo’s players wore a retro kit to honor him on would have been his 92nd birthday in 2021 and continued the tradition in 2022. In 2019, Yashin’s heroics were brought to a new generation in the form of a film based on his life, ‘Lev Yashin: Dream Goalkeeper’.

Yashin, sadly, has not been around to witness many such tributes to his career. In 1986, a blood clot he suffered in his leg required it to be amputated, before he passed away in 1990 from stomach cancer complications at the age of 60, with his wife and two daughters by his side. 

It was during a European Cup match between Dnipro and Benfica in the Meteor Stadium that Yashin’s death was announced, reportedly bringing tears to the eyes of Portuguese icon Eusebio, who traveled as part of the Lisbon club’s delegation.

The striker, who is himself known as an all-time great of the game, called Yashin “the peerless goalkeeper of the century.” Many would find that hard to dispute, not only due to Yashin’s team and personal accolades, but also the sheer influence he had in his position.

In the pantheon of football icons, the Russian would surely lay claim to the number one shirt.

The world number seven also saw off Novak Djokovic in the semifinals on his way to the title in Dubai

Russian tennis star Daniil Medvedev continued his resurgent form with victory in the final of the ATP tour event in Dubai, where he defeated compatriot Andrey Rublev in straight sets on Saturday. 

Medvedev triumphed 6-2 6-2 over world number six Rublev, who was defending champion at the tournament.

Medvedev, 27, had overcome world number one Novak Djokovic at the semifinal stage in Dubai, ending the Serb’s 20-match winning streak. 

The title in Dubai was an 18th at ATP tour level for Medvedev, who extended his unbeaten run to 14 matches. The Moscow-born star has won the last three tournaments he has entered as he aims to climb back up the ATP rankings, having enjoyed 16 weeks as world number one in 2022. 

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“It is amazing because at the start of the year, it was not perfect. In tennis when you don’t win matches you have doubts. Now it just feels better,” Medvedev said after his win over Rublev. “I was really happy with these three weeks and I am looking forward to the next ones.”

Second seed Rublev had reached the final in Dubai after beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev in two sets in the previous round, sealing the win in a dramatic tie-break. However, the 25-year-old came up against an inspired Medvedev in Saturday’s final, as Rublev fell short of clinching what would have been a 13th ATP title of his career.  

The Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships became the first ATP event to see an all-Russian final since 2008, when Igor Kuritsyn defeated Marat Safin during the Kremlin Cup.

Russia will become part of the Asian Chess Federation if accepted, the international body has ruled

Russia is free to leave the European Chess Union (ECU) and join its Asian counterpart, should the move be approved by the latter organization, it was announced by international governing body FIDE on Wednesday. The decision followed a request by the Chess Federation of Russia (CFR).

The Asian Chess Federation (ACF) is now expected to decide on Russia’s request at its General Assembly, which will be held in Abu Dhabi on February 28. A Russian delegation at the gathering will be led by the head of the CFR, Andrey Filatov, national media reported.

If the ACF does accept Russia, FIDE explained that the country would automatically withdraw from the ECU, adding that a chess federation cannot be part of two continental bodies at the same time. FIDE also decided that Russia will be redesignated as part of the Asian region starting from May 1, in the event that it is approved for membership by the ACF.

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FIDE determined that Russian chess players who wish to join other federations in light of the potential changes can do so immediately upon request and without incurring any fees. Players can later return to the CFR under the same conditions, it added.

Back in March 2022, FIDE allowed chess players from Russia and Belarus to continue to participate at international tournaments, but only under neutral status.

The ACF currently features 54 national federations, including prominent chess powers such as China, India, and Uzbekistan.

FIDE’s decision comes ahead of a world title contest between Russian grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi and Chinese rival Ding Liren. Nepomniachtchi ranks third in the world, while his opponent lies second. They will face off in a series of games in Astana from April 7 to May 1.

A new world champion will be crowned following the withdrawal of reigning five-time champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who announced last year that he would not be defending his title in 2023.

Christian Atsu had been missing since the earthquakes on February 6

The remains of ex-Newcastle and Chelsea footballer Christian Atsu have been identified in the rubble of a block of high-rise apartments in the Turkish province of Hatay, according to his agent. Atsu had been missing since massive earthquakes rocked Türkiye and Syria on February 6, killing more than 40,000 people.

Atsu, 31, who joined Premier League giants Chelsea in 2013 during Roman Abramovich’s ownership of the club, was confirmed as deceased by his agent on Saturday.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce to all well-wishers that sadly Christian Atsu’s body was recovered this morning,” Nana Sechere tweeted.

“My deepest condolences go to his family and loved ones. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and support.”

The funeral of our football player Christian Atsu, who lost his life under the rubble ( debris), is on his way to be sent to his hometown, Ghana. We will not forget you, Atsu. Peace be upon you, beautiful person. There are no words to describe our sadness.
REST in PEACE ATSU

— Hatayspor (@Hatayspor_FK) February 18, 2023

We are profoundly saddened to learn that Christian Atsu has tragically lost his life in Turkey's devastating earthquakes.

A talented player and a special person, he will always be fondly remembered by our players, staff and supporters.

Rest in peace, Christian. 🖤🤍

— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) February 18, 2023

Everyone at Chelsea Football Club is devastated to learn of the tragic passing of our former player, Christian Atsu. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 18, 2023

The footballer was initially understood to have been rescued a day after the earthquakes, but those reports turned out to be false. His body was found on Saturday at Ronesans Residence, a 249-apartment block in the city of Antakya in southern Türkiye. The building had supposedly been “earthquake-proof.”

The developer of the residential complex, Mehmet Yasar Coskun, was arrested at Istanbul Airport as he attempted to board a flight to Montenegro last Friday, according to the Anadolu news agency.

“There are no words to describe our sadness,” tweeted Turkish club Hatayspor, which Atsu joined last September. “We will not forget you, Atsu. Peace be upon you, beautiful person.”

Newcastle United, a club for which Atsu played 121 times, wrote on social media that it was “profoundly saddened” by the news of his death, while Chelsea said it was “devastated.” 

Atsu, who played 65 times for Ghana and was named the player of the tournament at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, scored his first goal for Hatayspor in a Super Lig match on the eve of the earthquakes on February 5.

Jeff Monson became a Russian citizen in 2018 and was elected to political office in Moscow Region

American-born mixed martial arts star Jeff Monson plans to renounce his US citizenship due to his disagreement with Washington’s foreign policy, he told TASS on Thursday.  

“I disagree with US policies because they interfere in the internal affairs of other countries and people suffer because of this,” said the legendary fighter, who was granted Russian citizenship in 2018.  

“Yes, I have children living in the United States, but I love Russia, I love the Russian people,” he told the state news outlet, adding, “I like everything here and I want to be the holder of a Russian passport only.” 

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Only months after becoming a Russian citizen, Monson was elected as a deputy to the Council of Deputies of the Krasnogorsk district in Moscow Region. He remains a legislator for the region. 

Nicknamed ‘the Snowman’, Monson has won 61 of his 90 fights. He is a former challenger for the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title and a two-time ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship winner. In addition to MMA, he is also a Brazilian Jiu-jitsu world champion.  

An enthusiast of Russian and Soviet culture who has said he has a “Russian soul,” Monson was granted honorary citizenship of the breakaway Republic of Abkhazia in 2016 and received a passport in 2017 to what was then the self-declared Lugansk People’s Republic. He recently filmed and edited a documentary about “the people of Donbass” and in September revealed he planned to open sports schools in the Donetsk People’s Republic.

Kiev’s demands go against the “principles we stand for,” Thomas Bach says

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has criticized Ukraine’s calls to boycott the Paris 2024 Games if Russian athletes are allowed to take part. The role of the Olympics is to unify, not escalate and contribute to confrontation, he said.

“It’s not up to governments to decide who can take part in which sports competitions because this would be the end of international sport competitions… as we know it,” Bach told journalists on Sunday.

In late January, the IOC said it may allow athletes from Russia and Belarus who do not publicly support Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics under a neutral flag.

The announcement angered Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who called on countries to boycott the Games if this happens. Speaking on Friday, Zelensky said the presence of Russian athletes would be a “manifestation of violence” that “cannot be covered up with some pretended neutrality or a white flag.”

In comments cited by France 24, Bach stated that “history will show who is doing more for peace, the ones who try to keep lines open and communicate or the ones who want to isolate and divide.”

Our role is bringing people together.

Ukraine’s calls for a boycott of the Summer Olympics go against the “principles we stand for,” he said.

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Bach added that these calls are premature, saying: “we are talking about the sporting competitions to take place this year. There is no talk about Paris yet, this will come much later.” 

In deciding the fate of Russian and Belarusian athletes, the IOC must address the “serious concerns” of the UN Human Rights Council that banning them “only because of their passports is a violation of their rights,” he explained.

“We have seen a Belarusian player under neutral status winning the Australian Open. So why shouldn’t it be possible in a swimming pool for instance, or in gymnastics?” the IOC chief said. He was referring to the success of tennis star Aryna Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open in Melbourne last month.

Bach added, however, that Ukrainian athletes should “know how much we share their grief, their human suffering and all the effort we’re taking to help them” as a result of the conflict.

Islam Makhachev retained his world title in a hard-fought battle in Australia

Russian champion Islam Makhachev defended his UFC lightweight title early on Sunday in an intense, five-round battle against hometown favorite Alex Volkanovsk in Perth, Australia in the UFC 284 headliner.

Makhachev, the fearsome Dagestani grappler, entered the cage as the reigning 155lb champion, but faced a stern challenge from the Australian, who was moving up from the featherweight (145lb) division he has dominated in a bid to become the UFC’s latest two-division titleholder.

But after a back-and-forth contest which saw both men tested on their feet and on the ground, it was Makhachev’s persistent aggression and suffocating grappling which proved enough to earn a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards.

The full #UFC284 main event scorecards 📝 pic.twitter.com/zCx1YmqcFb

— UFC (@ufc) February 12, 2023

“Thank you Alex. It was a very good fight,” said Makhachev after what will likely be considered by far the toughest bout of his recent career. “I need some tough fights. I have to improve. I [thought] he’s going to be easy on the ground but this guy improved a lot.”

The victory will almost certainly see Makhachev succeed Volkanovski at the summit of the UFC’s official pound-for-pound rankings to determine the world’s best fighter across all weight classes when the latest list is issued on Monday. It was the first time in the UFC’s 30-year history that the fight league’s top two ranked pound-for-pound fighters fought in the Octagon.

“I show why I’m number one,” Makhchev added in his post-fight interview. “They have to improve more. You like or you don’t like but I am the best fighter in the world right now.”

Opponents for 25 minutes

Partners in history forever 👏 #UFC284 pic.twitter.com/4wICW3XpTO

— UFC (@ufc) February 12, 2023

Volkanovski, who was fighting in front of a fiercely partisan crowd Down Under, added his congratulations to Makhachev afterwards.

“Obviously a lot of people are going to be happy with that because they never gave me a chance,” said the Aussie, who had Makhachev in trouble on several occasions in the five-round fight. “I knew I prepared properly, it was a fun fight. Congrats to Islam.”

Makhachev, who has now won 12 straight fights, stands alone at the top of the UFC lightweight division. His victory ensures continued Dagestani dominance in the organization’s lightweight fold – just like the man he succeeded at the top of the division, his close friend and training partner Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Pressure from Kiev for countries to boycott the Paris 2024 Games goes against the Olympic Charter, Thomas Bach reportedly said

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has reportedly urged Kiev to cease its calls for a boycott of the Paris 2024 Games. Ukraine has claimed that allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete would promote Moscow’s military operation – an allegation that the IOC has dismissed as “defamatory.”     

In a letter sent to the president of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee (NOC), Vadim Guttsait, and seen by several media outlets, Bach called on the authorities in Kiev to end their threats regarding the next edition of the Summer Games, and to refrain from pressuring other countries into a boycott. 

Bach noted that the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes under a neutral flag at the 2024 Games had “not even been discussed in concrete terms yet.” He also suggested that Guttsait’s letters to other NOCs had been sent prematurely, and had caused dismay among numerous IOC members. 

“Your letter at this premature stage to your fellow NOCs, to the International Federations, IOC Members and to future Olympic hosts, pressuring them in an attempt to publicly influence their decision making, has been perceived by the vast majority of them as, at the very least, extremely regrettable,” Bach is said to have written.

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The IOC president reportedly reminded Kiev that a boycott is a violation of the Olympic Charter, which “obliges all NOCs to ‘participate in the Games of the Olympiad by sending athletes.’” 

Bach also condemned “defamatory statements” made by several Ukrainian officials who have accused the IOC of being a “promoter of war, murder and destruction.” Last month, the organization denied allegations that it took bribes from Moscow, and warned that such claims would not lead to “constructive discussion.” 

In January, the IOC announced it was looking at ways to permit athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the Paris 2024 Games under a neutral flag. Senior Ukrainian officials, including President Vladimir Zelensky, responded to the news by vowing to lobby a boycott of the event. They have repeatedly insisted on isolating Russian and Belarusian athletes from any international sporting events.

The LA Lakers star surpassed the previous mark of 38,387 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night

LeBron James officially became the NBA’s all-time record points scorer as he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during the LA Lakers’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

The action at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles was paused after James scored the 38,388th point of his career with a fadeaway jump shot in the third quarter.

38 years old.
39 year-old record.
38 points tonight…

38,390 and counting. #ScoringKing pic.twitter.com/HBfuICH0dX

— NBA (@NBA) February 8, 2023

James moved beyond the previous record of 38,387 points set by former Lakers star Abdul-Jabbar, who was on hand to mark the occasion. Both he and NBA commissioner Adam Silver walked onto the court to congratulate the 38-year-old James.

“To be able to be in the presence of such a legend as great as Kareem, it’s very humbling. Please give a standing ovation to the Captain, please,” James said as he paid tribute to Abdul-Jabbar.

James thanked his family and fans for allowing him to “be a part of something I’ve always dreamed about.”

Later in a press conference, the Lakers star said he had “kind of teared up a little bit” when he scored the record-breaking shot, which comes in his 20th season in the NBA.

LeBron on the emotions of his record-breaking night. #ScoringKing

Hear more from him and the Lakers:
📲 https://t.co/enwi9jW91O pic.twitter.com/X84g2n2zYk

— NBA (@NBA) February 8, 2023

While it took Abdul-Jabbar 1,560 games to set his record back in April 1984, James has surpassed that milestone in 1,410 appearances.

James attracted significant media attention while still in high school, and scored his first points in the NBA at the age of 18. He has since gone on to win four NBA Championships – two with the Miami Heat, and one apiece with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Lakers.

READ MORE: Griner prisoner swap ‘great day’ for US, says LeBron James

Speaking of his plans for the future, James expressed hope that he would be able to play alongside his 18-year-old son, Bronny, who is set to be eligible for the NBA draft in 2024.

Despite James enjoying a record-breaking night as he ended with 38 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, the Lakers went on to lose 130-133 to Oklahoma.

The curtain comes down on one of the most illustrious careers in mixed martial arts this weekend when Fedor Emelianenko competes at Bellator 290

On Saturday night in California, mixed martial arts will wave a final goodbye to Fedor Emelianenko, a man widely regarded as among the best fighters of all time. It is fitting that the last contest for ‘The Last Emperor’ will be for the heavyweight world title at Bellator 290, where he will be afforded the chance to avenge a previous defeat to US rival Ryan Bader.

But win or lose, Emelianenko’s legacy as one of MMA’s most revered fighters is already secure, following a career that has spanned more than 20 years.

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Remaining undefeated for almost a decade at his peak, the 46-year-old Russian is a legend to fans and fellow fighters, producing some of the most memorable moments his sport has ever witnessed.

While Russia has seen the emergence of megastars and champions in UFC, Bellator, and other leagues, it was Emelianenko who made his mark as his country’s first true MMA icon.

EARLY YEARS

Born in 1976 in the city of Rubizhne in Lugansk, Emelianenko was brought up in a working-class family headed by a welder father and teacher mother in the Belgorod region of western Russia.

Starting to practice Sambo and judo around the age of 11, Emelianenko was not a standout pupil according to his former instructor Vladimir Voronov, but was a hard worker. 

After a spell in the Russian Army from 1995-1997, Emelianenko received Master of Sports certification and competed for the Russian national team, before deciding to pursue a professional career in MMA.

Appearing under the banner of the ‘Rings’ promotion, Emelianenko impressively submitted Bulgarian rival Martin Lazarov via a guillotine choke in round one of his 2000 debut in Ekaterinburg.

The result set off an impressive 4-0 start to Emelianenko’s career, although in his second contest on foreign shores he suffered a controversial loss to Tsuyoshi Kohsaka in Osaka after just 17 seconds due a TKO doctor stoppage.

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‘THIS GUY’S NOT HUMAN’ 

It was to be a decade before Emelianenko tasted defeat again as he embarked on an iconic unbeaten run between April 2001 and June 2010 which has become the stuff of MMA folklore. 

Finishing a multitude of rivals in the first round by submissions and knockouts, Emelianenko’s 28-fight unbeaten streak included the scalps of four ex-UFC champions, a Pride FC champion, one former and two future K-1 champions, and two Olympic medalists. 

Moving on to join the Japanese-based Pride Fighting Championships in 2002 after winning the Rings ‘King of Kings’ tournament, Emelianenko entered the title picture a year later when he met the heavily-favored Brazilian Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira as an underdog at Pride 25.

Nogueira had won the ‘King of Kings’ tournament himself in 2000, when Emelianenko had been controversially eliminated by Kohsaka. The Brazilian was also coming off big wins against Bob Sapp and Hearth Herring, and was feared due to his durability and jiu-jitsu submission skills.

That was no matter for Emelianenko, who neutralized the threat from Nogueira before brutally dominating with a ground and pound to earn a unanimous decision win. Emelianenko was crowned just the second heavyweight champion in Pride history.

According to Fedor himself, his contest with Nogueira, which ended the Brazilian’s 14-fight unbeaten streak, remains his favorite. “I had to activate my fighting IQ and find keys to victory. At that time, he was the best fighter in the world,” said the Russian.

Going on to win a Heavyweight Grand Prix and avenging his defeat to Kohsaka, Emelianenko then took part in what was to be widely dubbed as MMA’s ‘Fight of the Decade’ when he beat Croatian great Mirko Cro Crop by unanimous decision in August 2005, despite having his nose broken.

Emelianenko never lost his Pride heavyweight title and successfully defended it for the last time against Mark Hunt on New Year’s Eve 2006.

That was followed by a win against South Korean giant Hong-man Choi, in a fight where Emelianenko made light of the almost laughable size difference between the pair. 

In 2007, Emelianenko used a special clause in his contract that allowed him to fight under other banners as long as the event was held on Russian soil.

Emelianenko beat Matt Lindland in St. Petersburg, and then won the inaugural World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) heavyweight championship with a Submission of the Year in July 2008 over Tim Sylvia after just 36 seconds at ‘Affliction: Banned’.

“I know that I’m one of the best in the world, I was amazed at how good Fedor is,” said a stunned Sylvia. “He hurt me right away and submitted me. The guy’s a stud. I don’t even think he’s human. That guy hits hard. I’ve never been hit that hard before.”

By that stage, Emelianenko was a bona fide superstar, enjoying audiences with the likes of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and attracting crowds at public events in his homeland. 

UFC AND THE DEAL THAT NEVER WAS

One of the enduring questions from Emelianenko’s career will always be why he never signed with the UFC – the promotion which has come to be seen as the final destination for the MMA elite. While an agreement was never signed, sealed, and delivered, there was contact between the two sides at various points.

In 2010, UFC president Dana White said that signing the Russian had become an obsession for him. “I want it worse than the fans want it,” White said of bringing Emelianenko into the promotion.

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Attempting to make a fight between Fedor and UFC superstar Brock Lesnar, White blamed members of the Russian’s entourage, who he claimed thought they were “too cool, too slick and too f**king funny” to strike a deal, accusing them of making “the biggest f**k-up in the history of all sports.”

The figures for the deal were purportedly as much as $2 million per fight, but White refused to accept a co-promotion with St. Petersburg’s M-1 Global banner headed by Vadim Finkelchtein.

White mocked Finkelchtein and branded his demands, which allegedly included constructing an M-1 arena in Russia, as egregious. Finkelchtein denied the claims and said White had refused to allow Emelianenko to perform combat Sambo, which was “very important to him.” 

THE DEFEAT THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD 

White said he warned Emelianenko that he was just “one punch away from being worth zero.” While this didn’t prove true, the words were something of a bad omen. 

After he signed a three-year deal with Showtime to fight for Strikeforce, Emelianenko – who by that stage was 33 years old – suffered his first loss in a decade on his debut in June 2010, in one of the biggest upsets of all time against unfancied Brazilian Fabricio Werdum. 

The Werdum loss was followed by two more defeats, and a reflective Emelianenko said of his change in fortunes: “Yes, I've lost my last fights, but every time there were definite reasons for that. Some changes in my family took place at that time and they affected my performance. Certainly, there were mistakes in my preparations.” 

“In the three bouts I lost, I felt like I could’ve won. But the win somehow eluded me. I felt I could do it. I had chances, but God’s will was different,” added the deeply religious fighter.

Indeed, faith plays an important part in Emelianenko’s life; he is a man with a calm, softly-spoken demeanor which comes in stark contrast to the brutal punishment he dishes out in the cage. This lack of ego is something that has further endeared Emelianenko to fans, with the famous, somewhat garish sweater he often wore at press events even gaining its own mystique. 

Although a family man, Emelianenko has drifted apart from his brother Aleksandr, a fellow fighter particularly renowned in Russia, whom Fedor claimed “said and did all sorts of crap, all sorts of nasty stuff.”

“The rift happened a long time ago,” Fedor explained in 2021. “The only person who could say the opposite point of view to Aleksandr in his eyes was me. It was a kind of conscience he had.”

“His conscience wouldn’t let him open his mouth in [my] direction. He sat and listened with a dejected look. Apparently, he got tired of it and broke off the relationship.”

IN AND OUT OF RETIREMENT 

Amid retirement rumors and following his run of defeats, Emelianenko returned to action in November of 2011 and put three wins together in the space of seven months. But after the last of those fights in mid-2012, following victory over Pedro Rizzo in St. Petersburg on an M1-Global card, Emelianenko did step away from MMA.

As ever, White was waiting in the wings to try and lure him to the UFC, but failed once more. This time more respectful than when negotiations had broken down three years previously, White hailed Emelianenko as “one of the greatest heavyweights ever.”

But by now managed by his wife Oksana and the Russian MMA Union, Emelianenko shocked the combat sports world in July 2015 when releasing a statement that read “I feel that it is time to return.”

Given that he had parted ways with M-1 Global, rumors spread that Fedor would finally put pen to paper with the UFC, and Finkelchtein claimed that he had instigated talks between the two parties. 

With Emelianenko also confirming in a Q&A that negotiations were in progress and that his wish was to face the “strongest fighters in the world,” another surprise was in store when he subsequently announced he would fight for Rizin, run by ex-Pride FC boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara, on New Year’s Eve 2015 in Saitama.

After the dust had settled, Emelianenko blamed the UFC’s “draconian and oppressive” contract – which he thought was “one-sided” – for a third failure to come together. “I’m not ready to sign such an enslaving contract. First of all, they should show respect for the fighters – the kind of respect I receive in Japan.”

In fighting terms, Emelianenko extended his winning streak to five victories with a comeback win over Jaideep Singh and a decision victory over Gabriel Maldonado in the summer of 2016 in St. Petersburg, in what was a particularly bruising contest. 

AT HOME WITH BELLATOR 

In another change of organization for Emelianenko, it was confirmed in a WWE-style announcement during Bellator 165 in November 2016 that the Russian would be heading to the promotion to face heavyweight rival Matt Mitrione. Emelianenko emerged through smoke at the event and told a rapturous crowd “I’m happy to be fighting in Bellator.”

The Russian appears to have been happy with Bellator ever since. Though he dropped a first-round TKO loss to Mitrione in New York, he notched two impressive early finishes against Frank Mir and Chael Sonnen in the Heavyweight World Grand Prix quarterfinals and semifinals in 2018, ahead of losing the final to Bader in January 2019 – a defeat which Emelianenko has the chance to avenge this Saturday. 

Read more

Demolishing Quinton Jackson by TKO in Japan in December 2019, Emelianenko hasn’t been seen in the cage since knocking out Timothy Johnson in Moscow in October 2021 at Bellator 269, in what was an emotional homecoming at the VTB Arena. 

“It’s a huge event for us,” Emelianenko said at the time about fighting in his homeland. “It’s been a while since I last fought in Russia, so it is a very big deal and I’m happy that we managed to be successful.”

Emelianenko and Bellator bosses had harbored hopes of holding his farewell fight on Moscow’s Red Square, which would have provided the perfect swansong, although those plans were shelved due to the conflict in Ukraine.

As it turns out, the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, will provide the setting where Emelianenko gets one last chance at glory against Bader this weekend. 

MMA BIDS FAREWELL TO A LEGEND   

With Russian Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov under his tutelage, Emelianenko will have plenty to focus on even once he has retired. He also leads the Russian MMA Federation, symbolizing the enduring importance of Emelianenko for the sport in his homeland.    

Such is his legacy, even if Emelianenko comes out second best against Bader on Saturday, he is already assured of a place in the Pantheon of MMA greats.

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Antonio Nogueira, Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Hunt, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, and Heath Herring – during his career Emelianenko has defeated some legends of the sport and inspired new ones.

“When you talk about heavyweights, Fedor’s body of work has been amazing. Pound for pound, or in the legacy of what he’s done, I haven’t seen anybody out there who’s done more,” Bellator president Scott Coker said this week ahead of Emelianenko’s final fight.

Though the likes of former UFC two-weight champion Daniel Cormier, who was himself known as ‘Black Fedor’ at the beginning of his career, have questioned if Emelianenko could have competed with the elite of the late 2000s in the UFC, other respected figures have described the Russian as unquestionably the greatest MMA heavyweight – with Sports Illustrated and numerous other big outlets naming him the best fighter of the first decade of the 2000s. 

“Fedor is the greatest, no doubt,” stated former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos. “For me, in a matter of admiration, he is the greatest of all time. He is a heavyweight who beat everybody. He certainly was ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet.’”

Plaudits have also come from the likes of Mike Tyson, who revealed back in 2012: “Fedor Emelianenko, my favorite of all time... He’s always been the underdog, he’s always the smallest guy and he always comes out victorious.”

‘BE HAPPY WITH WHAT YOU HAVE’ 

Given his previous retirement reversals, there have inevitably been questions as to whether Emelianenko really will call it quits this time – but he is adamant that the fight with Bader will be his last. 

“No,” Emelianenko answered without hesitation to ESPN this week when asked whether he could fight again after Saturday. “Family is first. They’ve been waiting for me for a very long time.”

And as for the UFC, Emelianenko has no lingering regrets, saying: “Whatever God gave me, I was very happy with it. You don't have to think about things that never happen. You have to live in the moment and be happy with what you have.”

MMA fans will certainly feel thankful that Fedor Emelianenko has graced their sport for more than 20 years, and that they can savor one last chance to witness ‘The Last Emperor’ this Saturday night.   

The Serb now has 22 majors to his name, level with Rafael Nadal on the men’s all-time list

Novak Djokovic won a record-equaling 22nd Grand Slam title as he defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets in the Australian Open final on Sunday. At the same time, Djokovic extended his record number of titles in Melbourne with a 10th triumph at the tournament.

After surging out of the blocks to take the first set at Rod Laver Arena, Djokovic was made to work by third seed Tsitsipas in the second and third sets. But the Serb applied his hallmark intensity to break the resistance from his Greek rival, winning 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5).  

With the title, Djokovic moves level with Spanish great Rafael Nadal on 22 Grand Slams at the pinnacle of the men’s all-time list. After Nadal’s latest injury woes in Australia and Djokovic’s own imperious march to yet another title, many will tip the Serb to move out on his own at the top of those standings – even with Nadal’s favored French Open next up on the Grand Slam calendar.   

MORE TO FOLLOW

Artur Beterbiev maintained his perfect record after a bruising contest against Anthony Yarde

Undefeated Russian fighter Artur Beterbiev retained his WBO, WBC and IBF world light-heavyweight titles with a stoppage win against home hero Anthony Yarde in a back-and-forth battle at Wembley Arena on Saturday night.

Beterbiev, 38, set up the finish in the eighth round with a massive right-hand shot which crumpled Yarde to his knees. The British fighter beat the count but Beterbiev immediately poured on the pressure again, prompting Yarde’s corner to call off the fight and spare their man further punishment.

Yarde, 31, had posed a bigger threat than many expected to the all-conquering Beterbiev. Fighting in front of a fiercely partisan crowd, the Londoner enjoyed particular success in a pulsating round five before Beterbiev drew upon all his ring nous to impose himself on the fight.

Beterbiev, who also holds Canadian citizenship and trains in Montreal, said he was satisfied with his night’s work against Yarde despite the contest being closer than many had anticipated.  

FIGHT OF THE YEAR. Arthur Beterbiev KNOCKS OUT Anthony Yarde

now 19-0 with 19 KOs 💀#BeterbievYarde pic.twitter.com/6jXGmAxt46

— Gmane (@GmaneBoxing) January 29, 2023

“I can’t say I did a bad fight, but if I do again, I want to do better. But I feel good,” Beterbiev told BT Sport. “Anthony did [punch hard]. He’s young. He has time I think, and I hope he will do well in the future.

“If I’m being honest, every punch he did, for all those punches we prepared, that’s why I came back and back, because we knew, we expected those punches,” added the Dagestani-born fighter.

The eighth-round finish extended Beterbiev’s remarkable 100% stoppage rate against each of the 19 opponents he has faced in professional boxing. The win will also increase the clamor for an all-Russian undisputed light-heavyweight title fight against WBA champion Dmitry Bivol.

Bivol, 32, boasts an undefeated record of 21-0 and famously handed Mexican great Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez a rare loss in their title fight in Las Vegas in May of last year. Bivol followed that up with a dominant decision victory over Mexico’s Gilberto Ramirez in Abu Dhabi in November.

Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina to win the Australian Open

Aryna Sabalenka won the first Grand Slam title of her career as the Belarusian fought back from one set down to defeat Elena Rybakina in a pulsating Australian Open final on Saturday.

Appearing in a maiden major final, fifth seed Sabalenka found herself behind after an imposing opening from Rybakina saw the reigning Wimbledon champion claim the opening set 6-4. But Sabalenka gradually exerted her own big-hitting game and leveled the match by taking the second set 6-3.

Both players continued to produce some dazzling shot-making at Rod Laver Arena in a battle befitting the occasion. It was Sabalenka who made the crucial move by breaking Rybakina’s serve in game seven of the decisive set. Despite a wobble as she saw three match points slip away, Sabalenka held her never to serve out the final set 6-4 and take the title with it.

On sealing victory, the 24-year-old collapsed onto her back and covered her face in disbelief as she celebrated by far the biggest prize in her career. Sabalenka will also rise to number two in the world in the updated WTA ratings on Monday – matching her career-best position.

“I am super nervous,” said Sabalenka after she was handed the Daphne Akhurst trophy by US tennis icon Billie Jean King. “I want to thank Miss King she has done so much… Congratulations, Elena. Hopefully we will have many more battles, hopefully in the final of Grand Slams.

“Thank you everyone, and thanks guys for an amazing atmosphere. It was an enjoyable tournament to play in. Thanks to my team, they are the craziest team on the tour.

“You guys deserve this trophy more than me. I hope next year I come back even stronger and I will show you even better tennis,” added the Minsk-born Sabalenka, who was competing at the tournament under ‘neutral’ status due to the ongoing sanctions placed on many Russian and Belarusian athletes because of the conflict in Ukraine.

For Rybakina, 23, it was disappointment Down Under as she missed out on adding another Grand Slam to the title she won at Wimbledon last year. Nonetheless, the Moscow-born player – who has represented Kazakhstan since 2018 – proved that she is a set to contend for more major prizes in the years to come.

“I would like to congratulate Aryna. I know how hard you have worked and hopefully we will have many more battles,” said the gracious Rybakina in her own post-match comments. Seeded 22nd in Melbourne, Rybakina will now make her debut in the world top ten as a result of her run to the final.

READ MORE: Russian youngster wins Australian Open junior title

Alina Korneeva defeated Mirra Andreeva in an all-Russian final in Melbourne

Russia’s Alina Korneeva became the latest junior Grand Slam champion from her homeland with a hard-fought victory over compatriot Mirra Andreeva in the girls’ singles final of the Australian Open on Saturday.

Appearing at a first ever Grand Slam junior event of her career, Korneeva ensured that she leaves Melbourne with the title in tow after a 6-7 6-4 7-5 win over fellow 15-year-old Andreeva. An epic contest between the two Russian youngsters – who are also doubles partners – spanned three hours and 18 minutes at Rod Laver Arena.

Ninth seed Korneeva got the better of her seventh-seeded rival, becoming the first Russian youngster to win the girls’ junior title in Melbourne since Elizaveta Kulichkova in 2014. Other past Russian winners of the title include two-time champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who has since gone on to have a successful professional career and reach a Grand Slam final at the French Open in 2021.

“It’s my first Grand Slam and I hope not the last one,” Korneeva said of her success, as quoted by the WTA website. “I’m so proud of myself, of my mental game.”

We have a new teen queen 👸

15-year-old Alina Korneeva outlasts Andreeva 6-7(2) 6-4 7-5 to take the girls' singles title 🏆@wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis • #AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/zjxydfJZRq

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2023

Korneeva and Andreeva had gone as far as the semifinals in the girls’ doubles in Melbourne, and Korneeva described the duo as the closest of friends – as evidenced by her consolation of the tearful Andreeva on court after their singles final. 

“On the court, of course I can’t give to her the points. We are the opponents on the courts,” said Korneeva. “Off the court, we are the best friends. I love her so much. She's my girl, I don't know, my person that I can say everything to her. I hope we will have a good relationship together.”

"A picture of agony and ecstasy." 🫂#AusOpen • #AO2023 pic.twitter.com/RFUQpgGIhV

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2023

The women’s final will be contested later on Saturday at Rod Laver Arena, and sees Russian-born Elena Rybakina – who has represented Kazakhstan since 2018 – aim to win her second Grand Slam title after success at Wimbledon last season. Seeded 22nd, Rybakina takes on debut Grand Slam finalist Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who is the fifth seed in Melbourne.  

With the 2023 Australian Open nearing its conclusion, we look back at a charismatic Russian former winner of the event

The Australian Open runs to its conclusion this weekend, with the first Grand Slam of 2023 set to be bookended on Sunday when the men’s championship match is played between record nine-time winner Novak Djokovic and debut finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas.

With the exit of Karen Khachanov in the semifinals at the hands of Tsitsipas, Russia is again left ruing a missed opportunity for glory in Melbourne after Daniil Medvedev was beaten in successive finals in the past two editions of the tournament.

Indeed, it is fast approaching two decades since the last Russian man won the title Down Under. On that occasion it was Marat Safin, one of the most charismatic, combustible characters of his or any other generation of tennis talent. The second Russian to win the Australian Open after Yevgeny Kafelnikov in 1999, Safin struck gold in 2005 in Melbourne by coming back to beat local favorite Lleyton Hewitt in what was his last great individual triumph.

Despite retiring prematurely in 2009, Safin is far from forgotten in the tennis world – as evidenced by a viral throwback photo which circulated during current edition of the Australian Open, which featured the eye-catching female following in Safin’s box during a past tournament.

Marat Safin's box in 2002 Australian Open, where he lost in the final to Thomas Johansson 😄 pic.twitter.com/B6m4bOghok

— Luigi Gatto (@gigicat7_) January 13, 2023

A playboy once described as a “two-meter embodiment of women’s dreams” by compatriot Dmitry Tursunov, Safin was often admired for his “frankness, outrageousness and charm” – married with no shortage of talent on the tennis court. The Australian Open was a tournament that Safin graced with all of those attributes, reaching the final three times. The re-emergence of the famous photo from 2002, where he allegedly partied before being beaten by underdog Thomas Johansson in the final, has led to many recalling one of the most colorful characters to have played the game.

Rise to the top  

Born in Moscow to Tatar Muslim parents, Safin showed early promise as a tennis prodigy and moved to Valencia in Spain as a 14-year-old to access advanced tennis training programs. As a teenager who – in his own words – grew “very fast … with no muscles,” Safin felt that Spain’s clay courts would be better for his knees.

The surface was arguably better for his overall career progression and development. After turning professional in 1997, he took the scalps of Andre Agassi and reigning champion Gustavo Kuerten at the 1998 French Open, before being eliminated in the fourth round by two-time Grand Slam finalist Cedric Pioline. Agassi pulled one back against Safin by beating him in the final of the Paris Masters in November 1999, but Safin had already tasted triumph by pipping Brit Greg Rusedski in an ATP final in Boston in August.

Turning 20 on January 27, 2000, the new millennium ushered in Safin’s most successful year in which he set records that remain intact to this day. He won a Masters tournament in Canada, then beat four-time champion and 90s great Pete Sampras in straight sets at Flushing Meadows to become the third youngest winner of the US Open aged just 20 years and 228 days. 

Safin’s maiden Grand Slam title also saw him become the first Russian to win the title in New York – and it was a full 21 years until Daniil Medvedev became the second to do so by beating Novak Djokovic in the 2021 final. The youngest Russian winner of any major tournament, Safin went on to become the youngest player of the Open Era at the time to reach the world number one ranking with his number of titles (seven) the most on the ATP Tour that year. 

“For me it was very strange in my experience reaching number one. I wasn’t ready for that because I couldn’t imagine just a few months earlier that I’d have the chance to become number in the world. I was Top 50, dropping, playing very badly,” Safin later confessed to ATPTour.com. “I underestimated myself… I didn’t believe in myself, and I was seeing myself weaker than others, which is unbelievable. Now I can understand tennis better.”

What a year 2000 was for Marat Safin...

🔹 US Open champion
🔹 ATP Finals semifinalist
🔹 Seven singles titles

On this day 21-years-ago, the Russian reached the 🔝 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career! pic.twitter.com/MgaqLwMpYd

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) November 20, 2021

The fire and the fury 

By now, Safin was building a reputation as a fiery personality who brought everything to the court and who would often take out his frustrations on his racket. Not only boasting generational talent, he had the heart to battle through adversity and was a must-see draw for the crowds, whether on fire at his unbeatable best or out of sorts due to his temperament. In the Paris Masters final of 2000 against Mark Philippoussis, for example, Safin became bloodied from diving for a volley and beat the Aussie with a bandage over his right eyebrow through five sets and a tiebreak. 

While 2001 proved relatively quiet, save for two ATP finals victories in Uzbekistan and St. Petersburg, Safin reached his first Australian Open final in 2002 but was upset by Thomas Johansson – turning heads with the aforementioned entourage in his box along the way. Some years later, another controversial character in Daniel Kollerer claimed to have seen Safin partying and drinking before the match played in the run-up to his 22nd birthday. 

“He [was] so drunk he can't even walk on his two feet, it can not be that bad,” reminisced the German to Unbreakable Media while talking about his own descent into a hedonistic lifestyle. “He could never win because he was so drunk, unbelievable. He was celebrating the night before like it was his birthday party. He celebrated like he already won the Australian Open.”

Safin’s first French Open semifinal ended in disappointment too, and he also fell short of regaining his world number one spot. But he ended the year well by beating the holder of the spot, Hewitt, to clinch the Paris Masters again and by leading Russia to its maiden Davis Cup title in December. 

A string of injuries blighted Safin’s 2003, as they did for much of the remainder of his career. Yet he returned to the Australian Open in fine form in early 2004 by topping number one seed Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals and Andre Agassi in the semi-finals, ending the American legend’s 26-match winning streak at the tournament. Those five-set affairs drained Safin, however, and rising star Roger Federer blew him away in straight sets in the final to become world number one for the first time in his career. 

That year was another which started with disappointment but ended well for Safin. Losing his head at the French Open and receiving a $500 fine for “racquet abuse” but strangely not for dropping his pants, he blasted “all the people who runs the sport” in a memorable interview.

“They have no clue!” said Safin ranted. “It's a pity that tennis is really going down the drain... They do everything that is possible just to take away the entertainment. You're not allowed to do that; you're not allowed to do this. You're not allowed to speak whenever you want to speak...” Later, though, he claimed a third Paris Masters crown and became the first man to win the final two Masters of the calendar in the same year by sealing victory in Madrid.  

Success Down Under and early retirement 

In 2005, Safin got off to the best possible start by reaching his third Australian Open final in four years – and this time finishing the job. In the semifinals, he got his revenge over Federer by winning a five-set thriller, then swatting away Hewitt in the final in four sets after going one down. 

Sadly, injuries would keep Safin off the court for the rest of the season. Save for winning the Davis Cup with Russia for a second time in 2006, Safin was often perceived as something of a spent force at the top level, except for becoming the first Russian to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon, where Federer beat him, even though Safin harbored an open disdain for grass. 

Despite retiring prematurely in late 2009 aged just 29, Safin still boasted a storied career and was immensely popular as a player twice voted the ATP Fan Favorite. The men’s tour described him as a “must-watch player” and many felt he could have achieved more given his natural genius.

For this and other facets of his personality, Safin is perhaps most comparable to modern day star Nick Kyrgios as his generation’s most eye-catching on-court presence but with a hint of nonchalance and accusations of underachievement – although unlike the Aussie, Safin does have Grand Slam success to his name. As with Kyrgios, Safin was known for often smashing his racquet – destroying a total 1,055 of them, according to his sponsor who kept count. 

In one of his last stands, at the 2008 Cincinnati Masters, Safin was booed various times by the crowd after throwing his racket and rowing with the match official. He still managed to end his career on good terms at the Paris Masters, though, where he was given the Bercy key after crashing out in the second round to Juan Martin Del Potro in November the following year. In an emotional farewell, Safin said: “Today I will put all my memories, all my wins and losses in a small box. Today a door is closed, hopefully another one will open.”

Post-career life 

Another door did open, and it happened to be in politics around two years later as Safin was elected to the Russian State Duma as a member of the United Russia Party. It was not to be a long-term career choice, however, and Safin stepped down from his role representing Nizhny Novgorod in May 2017. “I was young and unexperienced. They talked me into it,” he later claimed. “‘Polite’ and ‘likeable’ people. But I don’t regret it. I practiced and used my law degree, I have learned a lot. I got much more experience and finally, more importantly, six long years in the top politics on the federal level in such a huge country like Russia is an amazing achievement, and a very serious lesson.”

Safin, whose sister Dinara also enjoyed a successful professional career and reached three Grand Slam finals, went on to become an official for the Russian Tennis Federation and a member of Russia’s Olympic Committee. He stayed connected to the sport through coaching a Russia ‘Dream Team’ featuring Medvedev and Khachanov while attempting to recapture his Davis Cup glories after becoming the first Russian tennis player inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame in 2016.

“We had ups and downs, we cried, we broke rackets, we shouted some words, we threw the balls out of the court, we insulted the referees, only sometimes,” Safin said at his induction with laughter. “But this is a part of our life. I'm just so pleased to be part of it. It's a huge honor to be inducted and be part of history.”

Making headlines for his views on Covid-19 during the pandemic, Safin has been out of the spotlight of late until his recent viral resurgence due to the photo circulating on Twitter from the Australian Open in 2002. That image did not even feature Safin himself, but rather the collection of fetching blonde women in his player’s box known as the “Safinettes” and boasted two Moscow models. Current Australian tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis even described Safin as the GOAT – greatest of all time – for the eye-catching team he had managed to assemble.

Safin is said to have had no fewer than eight women in his player’s box during his run to the final in Melbourne, with a tour insider saying that the Russian “never has difficulty finding female supporters”. “His little black book would be pretty impressive,” the source added to Herald Sun.

The Melbourne daily newspaper wasn’t the only outlet to pick up on the Safinettes’ presence, as Channel 7 focused on them during Safin’s matches and on-court interviews. “I have to say thank you to all my family sitting over there,” he said to laughter on Center Court at the Rod Laver arena, while gesturing towards the ‘harem’, as the media dubbed them. Safin, who celebrated turning 43 on Friday, described Australia as a place that “stays in my heart.” “I have great memories from Australia. I played well and happy there,” he recalled.

👑 Former World No.1
🏆 2000 US Open champion
🏆 2005 Australian Open champion
🏆🏆 2-time Davis Cup winner

Happy Birthday Marat Safin 🥳#HappyBirthday #MaratSafin #Tennis pic.twitter.com/o1DygcGRYz

— Sportskeeda Tennis (@SK__Tennis) January 27, 2023

It perhaps seems unfathomable that a player on the current ATP tour could pull off such a stunt. Yet that was Safin – a unique entertainer full of charisma from a bygone era, but still remembered warmly and with many of his impressive records still intact.