The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Martin calls it quits

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 01, 2004

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Sport - Tennis

Martin calls it quits

NEW YORK, AUG. 31. There would be no fifth set this time for Todd Martin. The American announced his retirement on Monday after he failed to close out the fourth set in a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 loss to No. 31 Fabrice Santoro of France in the first round of the U.S. Open.

Martin, 34, was the runner-up at the 1999 U.S. Open, losing to Andre Agassi, in five sets, of course, and at the 1994 Australian Open, losing to Pete Sampras. He was a semifinalist at four other Grand Slam tournaments, most recently at the 2000 U.S. Open, and helped the United States win the 1995 Davis Cup.

"As a competitor he was as good as they came, top notch," Agassi said. Martin, who served two stints as president of the ATP Player Council, reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 in 1999. He entered the U.S. Open ranked 96th.

While he was struggling to keep up with Santoro's mixture of shots, Martin was thinking about keeping his career going.

"Halfway through the match I'm thinking, `Geez, how do I get a message to (U.S. Open director) Jim Curley not to make any type of announcement, I'm still in it, I'm still going,''' Martin said. "But at the same point you get to the point where you know in your heart."

Martin led 5-4 in the fourth set, and appeared headed to go the distance. But Martin, who was treated for leg cramps, got broken while serving for the fourth set, then again in the final game. When the match ended, the crowd was told that Martin was retiring.

He was given a microphone, and he thanked his wife, 1-1/2-year-old son, and coaches. "I'm going to be in tears in a moment," Martin told the fans, who gave him a standing ovation. "Thank you very much."

One spectator shouted: "What are you going to do now?"

Martin responded: "Sleep." — AP

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