Safina and Safin to be teammates at Hopman Cup

Dinara Safina and her brother, ATP player Marat Safin, will comprise the Russian team at this year's Hopman Cup in Perth. They have never before competed together at the event. According to tournament director Paul McNamee, Safina had not considered herself good enough to play with her brother in years past, but with her enormous breakthrough this year, she now believes she will be a good partner for him.

Safin, who has won both the U.S. Open and the Australian Open, had his own breakthrough this summer, getting to the semifinals at Wimbledon after many had counted him out, career-wise. A huge talent on the court, Safin--like his sister--possesses just the right amount of madness. "You can destroy one racquet," he once said. "You can destroy a chair. But you can't destroy a racquet and a chair in the same match. There has to be a limit. Otherwise this is the tennis of a sick person."

Hopman Cup should be fun this year.