Newz Forum: OTHER: Safin raises eyebrows by dropping shorts in five-set win

PARIS Marat Safin celebrated a particularly nifty shot at the French Open by mooning the crowd, which raised the question: What will he do if he wins the tournament?

The match was suspended Thursday because of darkness at 7-all in the fifth set and ended 24 minutes after it resumed when Mantilla sailed a backhand long. Afterward, Safin was still annoyed about being penalized a point for dropping his shorts early in the fifth set Thursday.

felt it was a great point for me," the former U.S. Open champion said. "I felt like pulling my pants down. What's bad about it?"

To celebrate a drop shot he hit for a winner, Safin grabbed his shorts, pulled them down to his thighs and leaned over. The crowd cheered and laughed.

body complained," Safin said. "Everybody was OK. It wasn't like really bad."

He hitched up his pants with a smile, but it disappeared when chair umpire Carlos Bernardes Jr. penalized Safin a point. The Russian argued in vain with Bernardes and ITF supervisor Mike Morrissey, then applauded the ruling facetiously before play resumed.

Safin said tennis officials discourage making the sport fun.

They tried to destroy the match," he said. "All of the people who run the sport, they have no clue. It's a pity that the tennis is really going down the drain. Every year it's getting worse and worse and worse. There has to be a radical change, and I hope it will be really soon."

Grand Slam supervisors decided not to fine Safin for dropping his pants. He was fined $500 for abusing his racket earlier in the match.

Former U.S. Open champion Marat Safin has never reached the final of the French Open.

(AP)

[Edited on 28/5/04 by TRD]

whats so bad with what he had done?

uh ben.....is this really what you want to see when you pay or tune in to see a sport???? will sports have to come with a rating system in case there are kids watching on tv, will janet jackson and this bozo be the future of sports....how would you like to see warren sapp drop his drawers every time he made a tackle....this is a crude and tasteless act, he should be fined, suspended and not allowed to play on tv until he grows up a LOT

Although it might have been humorous at the time, it wasn' t funny at all. As toejam said it was wrong. Thing is what happens to streakers when they run on the pitch/courts in sport they go to prison or recieve a hefty fine and banned from going to the sporting events. Basically thats what Safin did. He should be fined alot of money and recieve a suspension, i mean where do you draw the line? What a bad example to set.

well how many people can actually say that they watch tennis on a regular basis?