Marat Safin to consider his future after Paris Masters defeat to Juan Monaco

The former world No1, who captured the heart of Robson at this summer's Wimbledon where he reached the semi-finals, wants take a break before making a decision on his future following his 6-0, 7-6 defeat to Juan Monaco in the Paris Masters.

"I need time to sit down and relax and just enjoy my life without any tennis for a couple of months and then I will see," Safin, 28, said after his first-round defeat to the Argentine qualifier. "If I feel like I want to continue playing, I will. If not, it will be over."

Safin, who has struggled with knee injuries during the past three years, has not won a tournament since adding the 2005 Australian Open title to his 2000 US Open championship.

The Russian has won 15 career singles titles since turning professional in 1997 and also helped Russia win the Davis Cup in 2002 and 2006.

A three-time champion in Paris, Safin managed just 12 points in the first set against Monaco and served four double faults in the first game of the second set. It was his ninth opening-round defeat this year.

"It's a little bit uncomfortable to find yourself ranked top 10 for many years and then to find yourself ranked 70, 30 and 50," Safin added. "I'm open for anything, I have no pressure, nothing to prove. I just want to be comfortable in my decision."

On Tuesday, Gael Monfils gave the home contingent something to shout about when he came back from losing the opening three games to beat Monaco and reach the last 16.

Fans at the Bercy stadium had seen four French hopes come and go as Paul-Henri Mathieu, Josselin Ouanna, Adrian Mannarino and Jeremy Chardy all fell at the opening hurdle.

Finally, their wait ended as Monfils, the 16th seed, shrugged off his poor start to win 6-4, 6-4 against an opponent who had seen off Safin the previous day after coming through the qualifiers with wins over French wild card Jonathan Eysseric and Ecuador's Nicolas Lapentti.