When tennis stars change courts: from Noah the singer to Safin the deputy, another match – the battle of reinvention
After years spent running around the courts and traveling all over the world, the moment inevitably comes to put the racket away for good. For professional tennis players, sporting retirement often arrives before the age of forty, leaving them with an entire life ahead to rebuild.
While many follow well-trodden paths for their second career – Davis Cup team captain, coach for the new generation, media pundit or tournament director – others choose far more surprising directions.
Between those who remain faithful to the white lines of the court and those who venture towards unexpected horizons, former champions offer us a panorama as diverse as it is varied of a second life.
Some don’t hesitate to trade their tennis shorts for outfits that have nothing to do with the sport of their youth, as Marat Safin did for several years. A deep dive into these post-competition destinies, where traditional reconversions and unusual paths intertwine.
THE MOST CLASSIC SECOND CAREERS
Most retired tennis players don’t really stray far from the yellow ball. Many of them become coaches quite quickly, like Bjorn Fratangelo who, barely after announcing his retirement, became the coach of his wife, Madison Keys.
Many players who experienced glory during their careers have also gone on to have fruitful careers as coaches, such as Boris Becker, world number 1 in 1991, who worked with Novak Djokovic between 2014 and 2016, a highly successful period in the Serb’s career.
Some also try their hand at captaining a Davis Cup team, like David Ferrer. The Spaniard, after coaching Alexander Zverev for three months, was appointed captain of the Spanish team at the end of 2022. During a clash with the Czech Republic at the 2025 Davis Cup Final 8, he met across the net Tomas Berdych, once a rival on court, who is now captain of his national team.
Others decide to take on a slightly more atypical role in the tennis world: that of tournament director. Feliciano Lopez took on the role of tournament director in Madrid without even waiting for the end of his career, just like Tommy Haas, who took the reins of the Indian Wells tournament in 2017.
The expertise of a TV pundit
Among those who choose to stay in the tennis universe without taking on the role of coach, many former professionals turn to the
media. Becoming a TV analyst represents a natural transition: microphone in hand instead of a racket, they continue to walk the grounds of the biggest tournaments, this time from studios or courtside.
Armed with their high-level experience, they bring broadcasters valuable technical expertise and an insider’s view on strategy, strokes and players’ psychology.
For TV channels, these former champions are a clear added value, able to decipher the subtleties of the game and enrich the spectacle for viewers.
The rise of podcasts
While the majority switch careers to become coaches or TV analysts, some turn to a very different exercise: podcasts.
Take Andy Roddick and his podcast Served, or the quartet of Steve Johnson, John Isner, Sam Querrey and Jack Sock in Nothing Major. They discuss current tennis events at their own pace. The four American friends bring some solid assets to the table: tennis expertise from former professionals, all in a convivial atmosphere where the listener might feel like they’re in a bar chatting with friends.
Strong economic potential
The podcast format makes it possible to stay connected to the tennis world despite retirement and to freely share experience and opinions. Since the player hosts the show themselves, they can speak freely and are not constrained.
It also allows them to develop entrepreneurial skills, since the player who owns their podcast is responsible for the growth of their project and must see it through if they want it to be sustainable.
While remaining within the tennis world, this format therefore offers new challenges while preserving a certain independence, in a fun way and at their own pace. This contrasts with working as a pundit for a TV broadcaster, where there is not necessarily as much freedom of tone as in one’s own podcast.
Financially, podcasts can be an attractive source of income: thanks to product placements, they can prove very profitable. This format is now highly sought after by brands, which do not hesitate to sponsor certain shows to increase their visibility.
From tennis to politics, the case of Marat Safin
Marat Safin’s story perfectly illustrates these surprising trajectories. Currently Andrey Rublev’s coach and a former world number 1, the Russian chose, for several years, to completely cut ties with the world of tennis.
In 2011, just two years after hanging up his racket as a professional, he launched into an unexpected political career by getting elected to the Russian Parliament under the banner of the ruling United Russia party.
Using his tennis experience for his new life
For Safin, this new career was far from a leap into the unknown. The champion actually saw striking similarities with his former profession. He stated at the time: “Everything I learned in tennis, I tried to apply in my other life after sport. Tennis and politics have in common that you have to know who your friends and enemies are.
In politics as in tennis, you have to live in the present moment and be very sure of yourself. For me, it wasn’t difficult, especially since, surrounded by people over 60, I was the best looking.”
This political interlude came to an end in 2016, the year of his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Safin then explained that this new status involved a representative role he wanted to fully embrace, which justified his decision to give up his seat as a deputy and return to tennis.
A return home that would lead him, a few years later, to join Andrey Rublev’s box as a coach, thus closing the loop of a second career as atypical as it was short-lived.
Yannick Noah: from racket to microphone
If Marat Safin surprised people by trading tennis for politics, Yannick Noah is undoubtedly one of the most spectacular and successful reconversions in the world of the little yellow ball. Winner of Roland-Garros in 1983 and an iconic figure of French tennis, Noah didn’t wait for the end of his playing career to explore another passion: music.
As early as 1990, while still active on tour, the champion began recording his first tracks. But it was truly after his retirement in 1996 that his musical career took off. With his first album Black & What released in 1991, and especially Urban Tribu in 1993, Noah established his unique style blending reggae, pop and African influences.
A second career as brilliant as the first
Success followed, and not just a little. His albums sold by the millions in France. Noah filled the biggest concert halls and even performed at the Stade de France in front of tens of thousands of spectators. A feat that very few second careers can boast: going from sporting champion to French pop star.
What makes Noah’s journey particularly remarkable is his ability to excel in two such different fields. The Frenchman was able to rely on the popularity he gained as a tennis player and then on his talent as a singer to sustain this second career.
Today, for many French people, Yannick Noah is as much – if not more – the dreadlocked singer who electrifies audiences as the former tennis player who moved Roland-Garros to tears of joy in 1983.
One thing is certain: between his musical activities, his role as captain of the French Davis Cup team and his charitable commitments, Noah has managed to build a life after tennis that is as rich and inspiring as his playing career. Proof that stepping completely outside the box can sometimes be the best choice.
A life after life
The end of a professional tennis career can be difficult. A feeling of emptiness can arise, as daily life changes drastically from one day to the next. To handle this transition, you need to be prepared and have clear projects.
Whether they choose to stay close to the courts or move far away from them, tennis players prove that a sporting career is not an end in itself, but rather a springboard to new adventures.
From coaching benches to TV studios, from parliamentary chambers to concert stages, these second careers reflect a reality that is often overlooked: behind the champion lies a personality with many facets.
What emerges from these journeys is that the qualities developed on court – determination, stress management, adaptability, discipline – prove to be valuable assets in any field.
Marat Safin understood this well when he drew parallels between tennis and politics. Yannick Noah demonstrated it by transferring his charisma and energy from the rectangle of play to the musical stage.
Sports retirement: The start of a new match
But beyond individual success stories, these reconversions raise a broader question: how can we best support these elite athletes through this crucial transition?
Because while some naturally thrive in their second life, others struggle to find their path after having lived only for and through sport from a very young age. Between those who innovate with podcasts, those who pass on their knowledge as coaches, and those who dare the unexpected, each journey is a reminder that there is no single way to successfully transition.
One thing remains certain: the end of a tennis player’s career is never a full stop, but rather the beginning of a new match. It’s up to them to find the winning strategy to succeed – and enjoy it.
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