Murray makes winning start against Del Potro

Andy Murray stretches for a forehand during his 6-3 3-6 6-2 victory - Getty

Andy Murray made an impressive start to the ATP World Tour Finals beating US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro in three sets.

The British number one made a brilliant start to the match, swiftly gaining a 5-0 lead. Del Potro’s form improved considerably as he pulled three games back but he was unable to prevent Murray taking the opener.

The heavy-hitting Argentine asserted himself in a thrilling second set in front of 17,000 fans at the O2 Arena, winning it with a particularly punishing forehand.

Murray, pumped up from the off in the decider, grabbed a quick break of serve and he was able to maintain that advantage throughout the set and close out the match.

Safin bids farewell to tennis to ‘rest’ his brain

Marat Safin (right) after his 2000 US Open victory over Pete Sampras - Getty Images

His combustible personality and phenomenal talent always set Russian tennis player Marat Safin apart from the crowd. His two grand slam titles in an era that spanned Sampras, Agassi, Federer and Nadal helped too, as did his brief stint as world number one in 2000.

Following his second-round defeat to Juan Martin Del Potro in the Paris Masters on Wednesday, a tournament he won three times, the 29-year-old Safin finally retired from the gruelling professional tennis circuit to focus on his “intellectual development”.

“I am just tired of doing the same thing for 25 years in a row,” he said. “Now I want more intellectual development, and to switch the focus of my mind to different areas. Tennis is a great base for human development. But when your peak in tennis passes, you need to leave at the right time so as not to look pathetic. In tennis, you’re completely stressed the whole time. That is what I hate about it. It’s just too much. There is no rest for the brain at all.”

Safin trounced Pete Sampras in the 2000 US Open final, prompting pundits to predict a slew of further majors. The 6’4″ Russian’s volatile temperament was often his downfall, however, in a career that concentrated on the spectacular rather than the accumulation of trophies. Safin won his second major title when he crushed home favourite Lleyton Hewitt in the 2005 Australian Open final after a classic semi-final battle against Roger Federer.

“Now I have no schedule, no practises, nothing,” said Safin after Wednesday’s match. “I belong to myself. Tomorrow I’ll wake up and see what I can do.”

Roger Federer, winner of 15 grand slam titles and current world number one, suffered a rare defeat on Wednesday but he took time out to praise the departing Safin.

“I have many great memories of Marat,” he said. “When I think of him I think of an incredible player with incredible potential. He was, I think, one that also revolutionized the game a little bit. So it’s sad in a way to see him go, but still he was able to do great things in our sport.”