Ex-number one Safina takes career break

Former women's number one, Dinara Safina of Russia, will take an indefinite break from her tennis careeer to recover from a back injury, she told a Russian newspaper in an interview published on Friday.

Safina, 25, told Sport Express newspaper that she would miss the French Open, starting on May 22, and then give up all training until she has recovered from her injury.

"I will 99 percent return to tennis, but I want to do it healthy," she told the daily, speaking in Moscow.

"I want to take enough time for recovery, so that I never have to think about my back until the end of my career," she said, adding that she planned to spend the time visiting her mother in Monaco and travelling in Italy.

The player said she began experiencing back pain in 2009 and was diagnosed with a crack in her spine in 2010.

Safina, whose brother is former men's number one Marat Safin, was ranked the WTA number one in 2009 and has twice reached the final of Roland Garros.