MOSCOW, Feb 2 - Marat Safin should make his
long-awaited return to tennis at the Marseille Open later this
month, Russia's Davis Cup captain Shamil Tarpishchev said on
Thursday.
Tarpishchev left Safin out of his Davis Cup squad for next
week's first round World Group tie against the Netherlands but
he said the 2005 Australian Open champion had regained his
fitness after being sidelined since last August with a knee
injury.
"I saw Marat yesterday and he looked fine. He said the
injury has fully healed and he was ready to resume playing,"
Tarpishchev told Reuters.
The former world number one, who has not played since losing
in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Masters Series, dropped
to number 50 in the rankings this week after being unable to
defend his Melbourne Park title.
The