Tennis star Safin elected to Russian Parliament
Russian tennis icon Marat Safin has been elected into the lower house
of the Russian Parliament - the State Duma - as a member of the ruling
United Russia Party, local media reported.
The 31-year-old 2000 US Open and 2005 Australian Open champion won
the parliamentary elections in the region of Nizhny Novgorod situated
500 kilometres from Moscow.
"I thought for a long time before deciding to go into politics," said
the former world number one. "Of course I could pose in fashion
commercials showing myself as a high society star but it's definitely
not my lifestyle.
"Politics - it's a completely new life. It's a new way of thinking,
new way of acting, which has no relation either to tennis or sports in
general."
Reports said that US former tennis great Pete Sampras has already
congratulated Russia's new lawmaker predicting he will be the country's
future president. AFP
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