Tells Serena to deal with the rankings

MANILA - Former world No. 1 Marat Safin is just five tournaments away from leaving the professional tennis tour. His final grand slam appearance was short-lived as he crashed out in the first round of the US Open against Austrian Jurgen Melzer.

While the two-time grand slam champion Safin is at the twilight of his career, his younger sister Dinara Safina is at her peak.

Currently sitting atop the women's rankings, Dinara has been getting criticisms because she claimed the No. 1 spot without a grand slam title under her name.

“Everybody is giving her hard time about, Are you really No. 1 in the world? Yes, yes, she's really No. 1 in the world. Go check on the ranking. She didn't do the ranking," Marat said in a post-match interview on the US Open official website.

“Serena [Williams], she didn't say even though she won two Grand Slams this year, she's No. 2. Sorry, but that's the way. Deal with that,” declared Marat.

Dinara almost lost in her 2009 US Open opener as she struggled against Australian teenager Olivia Rogowska. She will face Kristina Barrois of Germany in the second round.

Big brother

Marat lamented about the treatment that his sister has been getting from her peers and the media.

“She gets the attention, but not the kind of attention that a person deserves, especially when you're No. 1 in the world,” he said.

“I'm just personally, I'm really like, I have to protect her. I feel like she deserve a little bit more than what she's getting right now,” he added.

He even related how much dedication Dinara gives to the sport. “I think she's playing you can't imagine how crazy she is about sport. I don't think there is one person in the world who is more professional than her.”

Marat, meantime, also mentioned that there are a lot of downsides to being No. 1 because of “too much attention, too much expectation from other people.”

He even remarked that is it a difficult situation, “especially for women.”

“Everybody is like hitting on her and giving her a hard time about this, how many, what happened to this serve, what happened this, what happened with that?”

“Leave her alone. Give her a little bit less questions. So it's just all to you guys. Make her happy. That's it,” he told the media.

Brother-sister tandem

Marat, 29, and Dinara, 23, hail from Moscow, Russia. They are the only brother-sister tandem in tennis history to have clinched the No. 1 ranking.

Marat, the 2000 US Open champion and 2005 Australian Open titlist, stayed atop of the rankings for nine weeks beginning Nov. 20, 2000.

He stunned Pete Sampras in the 2000 US Open final. In the 2005 Australian Open, he edged out Roger Federer in the semifinal and defeated Lleyton Hewitt in the final.

Dinara, meanwhile, has been holding the No. 1 spot since April 20, 2009. She was twice a runner-up at the French Open (2008 and 2009). She was also a finalist at the 2009 Australian Open.

“The poor girl, she's trying her best. She's doing really well,” he commented.

Marat and Dinara only teamed up once for the Hopman Cup in Perth, Australia held last January.

The Safin siblings, who represented Russia, finished as runners-up to Slovak Republic’s Dominik Hrbaty and Dominika Cibulkova.

Next phase

Marat, meanwhile, said he will not watch his sister’s succeeding matches in Flushing Meadows.

“I really love my sister, but I think she can manage without me. I think she has quite a few people to help her out,” he reasoned.

He also shared that he is looking forward to his life after tennis where he spent 12 years in the professional tour. When asked if he would change one thing in his career, he replied: “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

He said he is proud to have worked his way to the top and have a career that was able to support him and his family.

“I made it myself and I'm supporting my family. I help my sister, and everything I achieve is thanks basically to the occasion, to the sport.”

He also took the time to thank his supporters. “It's always nice. Throughout my career just so many fans that have been following me, and they been loyal to me.”

Marat has never revealed his plans after retirement, but he made it clear that what he would be doing next will be far from tennis.

A reporter told Marat that Novak Djokovic has divulged his plans of climbing a mountain in South America.

“Djokovic has the breaking news, huh? (Laughter) I think he should stick to his tennis and keep his mind into tennis instead of giving up my private life (laughter),” remarked Marat.