"I have retired, but I have not officially announced it," he told the newspaper.
"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, where 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 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, who has several businesses in Russia, with the main one being a real estate company, 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," added Kafelnikov, who has won a professional poker tournament, and recently competed in an event in England in which the winner collected $500 000.
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