Yevgeny Kafelnikov

London: Former men?s tennis world No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov has said that it is highly unlikely he will ever play professional tennis again. The 30-year-old two-time Grand Slam winner admitted his preference was to play poker nowadays as he couldn?t bear to face his fellow- Russians as a loser.

?I have retired but I have not officially announced it,? he told The Independent. ?Some people still think I am just taking a break, but I believe that my time in tennis has gone by.

?Even if I came back, I would have no chance to play at the same level I was,? said Kafelnikov, who won the 1996 French Open and the 1999 Australian Open. At the latter he is reputed to have spent most of his time playing roulette. However it was the thought of losing face to his compatriots that has really made his mind up.

?The most important things was not to disappoint my fans,? said the Moscow-based Kafelnikov, who is a divorced father of one, a six year-old daughter called Alesja. ?It is very hard to earn a good image in Russia. Once you do you?re a hero.

?But if you then do something wrong, you?re treated like, like, I can?t even think of a word for it. So, when people on the street in Moscow ask why I stopped playing, I say ?because I don?t want to see you people crying when I lose?. They understand that.?

Kafelnikov said that he had switched his competitive attention to poker because it wasn?t just down to skill. ?I find it very exciting,? said Kafelnikov, who has taken on the poker Rookie of the Year from 2002, Kirill Gerasimov, to coach him. ?Because you win not with the cards but with your skills. With body language you can win a game but also you can lose a game.?