Russia’s Marat Safin will bid to scale the world’s sixth highest mountain, giving the former world number one a fresh challenge which looks set to rule him out of this month’s Davis Cup semifinal against Germany.
Safin is part of an eight-member Russian expedition which is due to leave Nepal on Friday to climb Cho Oyu, the 8,201-metre mountain on the Nepal-Tibet border.
Ang Tshering Sherpa, chief of the Nepal Mountaineering Association, said the expedition was expected to last over a month, which is also likely to rule Safin out of the Mumbai Open starting on September 24, a day after the Davis Cup tie.
Expedition leader Alexander Abramov said a successful attempt would add to the stature of the two-time Grand Slam winner.
Safin, 2005 Australian Open champion, has struggled with form and injuries since that triumph and played last in this year’s US Open.