Marat Safin of Russia (right) was a former World No.1 and two-time Grand Slam winner. (Getty Images)
A former World No.1, Marat Safin, has two Grand Slam titles to his name
Marat Safin claimed that former World No.1 and retired Chilean tennis star Marcelo Rios was the second most technical player after Roger Federer.
Safin, a former World No.1 himself and a two-time Grand Slam winner, recently featured on Instagram where he openly praised Rios.
An immensely talented star and controversial figure during his playing days, Rios, unfortunately, could not win any Grand Slam titles, with his best-ever performance being a runner-up in the 1998 Australian Open.
“It was incredible the hand he had and how he anticipated the ball. I admired him a lot. He could have been number one a long time because he has an inhuman level of tennis,” said Safin, in statements collected by the Chilean press.
“But he was quite fragile in the head, he did not have a very good serve. Those two things were his worst nightmares,” the former Russian star added.
Rios, now 34, retired in July 2004, after suffering a back injury. He played his last ATP Tour-level tournament while only 27 years old at the 2003 French Open.
Meanwhile, Safin also had a few opinions about former rivals David Nalbandian and Fernando González.
According to Safin, Argentine Nalbandian was a talented player, who could have gone on to achieve greater things from the world of tennis.
However, he added that it was a mystery why he did not turn out to be entirely successful. “It is a mystery that he did not win a ‘Grand Slam,” Safin opined.
Nalbandian, meanwhile, was a former World No.3 and finalist at the 2002 Wimbledon Championship.
Safin also had a few words to talk about González, another Chilean like Rios, and former rival during his days as a professional.
The 40-year-old Russian said that González had the best right-hand in the world but also added that he had a terrible back-hand.
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