Marat Safin called it a day on November 11, 2009. After falling to Juan Martin del Potro in the second round of the BNP Paribas Masters, the Russian decided to retire from the ATP World Tour and put an end to a brilliant career.

Safin reached the top of the Emirates ATP Rankings in November 2000, won the 2000 US Open and 2005 Australian Open, and lifted another 13 ATP World Tour titles during his career. He also placed a pivotal role in helping Russia win the Davis Cup in 2002 and 2006. Although some tennis experts believe he could have achieved even more, Safin still believes he gave the sport everything he could.

“I don’t regret anything”, said Safin. “I had many injuries throughout my career, but that was something out of my control. I’m very proud of my results. It was a really interesting, intense part of my life. I learned a lot, it made me mature, I saw the World and met many peopl. The overall experience was positive.

When his pro tennis career came to a close, Safin was left to ponder what to do next. But while some players move right into coaching or other areas in the world tennis, he characteristically decided to take the road less traveled. In December 2011, the former World No. 1 arrived to the world of politics after being elected to play a role in the Duma, the Russian Parliament.

“I wanted to try different things. I finished my law studies and having a seat in the Parliament was on my mind. I was only 30 years old, so I was young enough to keep learning,” said Safin. “Life is different there. It didn’t matter if I was No. 1 or won Grand Slam titles. I had to start from zero and be eager to learn. You need to know how the system works and give your opinion. But over time, people start listening to you and they let you work”.

But Safin still keeps a close eye on tennis. He relieves the sport is changing in a positive way and is impressed by what he sees in the new crop of #NextGen players.

The guys are playing a different style and are much more aggressive, which is really interesting. They are great athletes and stronger than in my generation,” said Safin. “The game has evolved and it’s interesting to see how the players do things now that were out of our reach.”

Although the Russian admitted he may not join his peers like Carlos Moya in coaching a top player in the near future, the outspoken Safin is always willing to impart advice to the NextGen of tennis.

“A lot of your success depends on whether or not you’re open to criticism. Not many people are willing to hear those tough words,” said Safin. “But it’s important to be humble and listen to your team. You need to hear the truth, even if it hurts.”

Milos Raonic is kicking off the new year with a new coach. The Canadian has brought on former World No. 4 and 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek to work alongside him in 2017.

“Today was my first practice with Richard Krajicek. It’s great to have Richard, alongside my team, for the upcoming season in my attempt to reach new and higher goals for 2017,” said Raonic in a post on his Instagram account. “I worked with Richard for a few days last year before the Australian Open and I’m sure with his experience and being a Wimbledon champion, [he] can help me reach my goals. I look forward to doing great things.”

Raonic worked with former World No. 1 and 1999 Roland Garros champion Carlos Moya during the 2016 season, jumping from No. 14 in the Emirates ATP Rankings to his current career-high standing of No. 3. His banner year included a semi-final showing at the season-ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, where he fell to eventual champion Andy Murray. In addition to reaching his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, Raonic also prevailed at the Brisbane International presented by Suncorp and finished runner-up at both the Aegon Championships and BNP Paribas Open. 

Krajicek is no stranger to coaching the world’s best players, having been hired by reigning US Open champion Stan Wawrinka for this year’s grass-court season. The Dutchman also serves as director of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.

Raonic will open his 2017 campaign by defending his title in Brisbane on 1 January. Having reached the semi-finals at last year’s Australian Open, the Canadian will be aiming to start his season with a flourish Down Under.

Roger Federer won’t kick off his 2017 season for another two weeks, but he’s in familiar territory this month by advancing to the final of a different kind of draw.

The Swiss star is squaring off against Thor actor Tom Hiddleston to be crowned by GQ as 2016’s Most Stylish Man. Federer has so far cruised through the 64-person draw by defeating (in order) former One Direction member Zayn Malik, actor Ryan Gosling, actor Steven Yeun, rapper Kanye West and actor Jared Leto. 

The winner of this tournament is decided by the public. Click here to cast your vote for Federer.

At age 35, Paolo Lorenzi showed no signs of slowing down this year. The Italian won his first ATP World Tour crown on the clay courts of Kitzbuhel in July, took a set off Andy Murray in the third round at the US Open in August and claimed two titles on the ATP Challenger Tour.

Last but certainly not least, the Rome native added “husband” to his 2016 titles, marrying Elisa Braccini on Saturday, 17 December in Siena, Italy. Congratulations to the happy couple!

Read 2016 First-Time Winner Spotlight: Paolo Lorenzi

Andy Murray put a bow on his dominant 2016 season on Sunday, taking home the BBC Sports Personality of the Year (SPOTY) award. The Scot was honoured for a record third time, having previously won the award in 2013 and 2015.

Murray was named the British sportsperson of the year after completing a historic campaign on the ATP World Tour. The 29 year old became the first player from his country to ascend to No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and lift the trophy at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. He posted a 78-9 win-loss mark, also including titles at Wimbledon, the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Rome, Shanghai and Paris, and in London/Queen’s Club, Beijing and Vienna. Murray also successfully defended his gold medal at the Summer Olympics.

“Incredibly proud to win BBC Sports Personality Of The Year for a third time,” Murray posted on Facebook. “Thanks to everyone who voted for me, it really means a lot. It’s been an incredible year and it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my team, family, friends and especially all of you, my fans… Here’s to 2017!”

In case you missed it…

Andy Murray is the 2016 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

➡️ https://t.co/76ofUdUMYT #SPOTY pic.twitter.com/ORH2fPE6F8

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) December 18, 2016

Murray accepted the award from British boxing legend Lennox Lewis at his training base in Miami, where he is preparing for the upcoming season. Andy’s mother Judy and Wimbledon hero Marcus Willis were in attendance at Birmingham’s Genting Arena.

The Dunblane native won the coveted award with 247,419 votes in total, with triathlete Alistair Brownlee coming in second and show jumper Nick Skelton third. Murray is the fourth different tennis player to win the award in its 63-year history, after Ann Jones in 1969, Virginia Wade in 1977 and Greg Rusedski in 1997.