PARIS — Two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin said he is considering retirement after a 6-0, 7-6 (4) loss to Juan Monaco in the first round of the Paris Masters on Monday.
Safin, a former top-ranked player and a three-time champion at the Paris tournament, said he wants a long break before making a decision.
“I don’t know what happened. Just couldn’t find my rhythm and couldn’t find the game,” the 28-year-old Russian said. “I need to think everything through. . . . I need to sit down and relax and just enjoy my life without any tennis (for) a couple of months and then I will see.”
Also, Sam Querrey of the United States advanced to a second-round match against fourth-seeded Andy Murray. The big-serving Querrey had secured a break in the third set and was leading 7-5, 6-7 (5), 3-2 when Marcos Baghdatis retired because of a sore back.
Swimmer Hackett retires
SYDNEY, Australia — Two-time Olympic gold medal winning swimmer Grant Hackett has retired after almost a decade of dominance at 1,500 meters.
Hackett, 28, retires with the 1,500-meter record of 14 minutes, 34.56 seconds he set at the 2001 world championships in Japan. He also holds the world record in the 800 and held the world mark for the 200 freestyle in 1999, until it was topped by fellow Australian Ian Thorpe.
Kodak parting with NASCAR
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Eastman Kodak Co., betting its future on electronic imaging, is ending its 22-year sponsorship in NASCAR and putting more sports marketing dollars into professional golf.
Since signing on with NASCAR in 1986, Kodak-sponsored cars have won the Daytona 500 four times — with Ryan Newman’s car this year, Sterling Marlin’s in 1994 and 1995 and Ernie Irvan’s in 1991.
Nets center Boone returns
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New Jersey Nets center Josh Boone returned to practice and said he will be ready for Wednesday’s regular- season opener at Washington after missing more than a week because of a rapid heartbeat.
• Houston Rockets backup point guard Aaron Brooks will miss one to three weeks because of a bone bruise in his right ankle.
• The Toronto Raptors exercised the fourth-year option on forward Andrea Bargnani.
Footnotes.
Gary Waters has a new five-year contract with Cleveland State after coaching the Vikings to the National Invitation Tournament last season — their first postseason appearance in 20 years.
• South Korea’s Kim Yu-Na led an Asian sweep Sunday at Skate America in Everett, Wash., winning the title in a runaway Sunday over Japan’s Yukari Nakano and Miki Ando. Rachael Flatt, a junior at Cheyenne Mountain High School, finished fourth.
• Brandt Snedeker tied a course record with a 6-under-par 66 to take a four-shot lead over Anthony Kim after the first round of the Kiwi Challenge in Wellington, New Zealand.
