Soaking up her New York surroundings, Dinara Safina gives coaching a shot

— -- NEW YORK -- Dinara Safina has a single finger up in the air as she holds her phone in front of her, excusing herself for just one minute.

"I'm sorry, it's my mom," she says in accented English, the glowing device lighting up her face.

It happens to be her parents' 38th wedding anniversary and she and her brother, fellow former world No. 1 tennis player Marat Safin, have treated them to a dinner out in Moscow.

"What is the limit?" her mom asks her via text.

"No limit," Dinara types back.

"OK. We will just have water," her mom says, clearly joking.

Safina can't help but break into a smile. "OK, sorry. I will put this away. Now, where were we?"

Where Dinara Safina is on this bright but cold winter day is Coney Island, Brooklyn. The onetime best women's tennis player in the world is finishing up her second week in a brand-new career: Coach. She's based at a facility called MatchPoint NYC in what is a heavily Russian Jewish neighborhood. She's been living in an apartment near Columbus Circle and Central Park on the Upper West Side since the end of August.

"I moved to New York for [the coaching], but also because I love it here, I wanted to move here," Safina says, having just finished a practice session with rising Ukrainian player Anhelina Kalinina, a finalist at the 2014 U.S. Open junior event.

"I've always had a feeling for New York. I just said to myself, 'If I have something inside that wants to try New York, I should do it.' Nothing is stopping me."