Ricky Dimon

• Gulbis, the new Safin

  2010-03-04 03:40:01
  

  Ever since Ernests Gulbis became a well-known commodity on the ATP Tour, he has drawn obvious comparisons to Marat Safin.

   

  And why not? The talent is there. The fangirls are there. The hilarious comments and off-court shenanigans are there. The tantrums, mental meltdowns, and broken rackets are all there. The inexplicable losses have always been there.

   

  Now, at long last, the winning is there.
  
  Having failed to reach an ATP semifinal since his first-ever ATP tournament in St. Petersburg a whopping four years ago, Gulbis made it to the semis of the 500-point event in Memphis last month. The way he did it was especially impressive. After cruising past Robert Kendrick and upsetting No. 3 seed Radek Stepanek, Gulbis found himself trailing fifth-seeded Tomas Berdych 5-2 in the third set.
  
  Down 5-2 in the third, Gulbis is supposed to implode; especially after throwing away the momentum of winning the second set and especially because he had just tweaked his left knee while serving at 1-4. Instead, the 21-year-old Latvian caught fire and broke Berdych at 5-3 to stay alive before forcing a final-set tiebreaker. Gulbis dominated it seven points to three to improbably book a spot in his second career semifinal.

   

  Although he fell the next day to eventual champion Sam Querrey, Gulbis picked up right where left off in Memphis as he headed south to Delray Beach. Three years and four months elapsed between Gulbis’ first ATP semifinal and his second; a mere six days elapsed between his second and his third.

   

  Not only did Gulbis make it to the Delray semis, but he reached his first ATP final and in his first final, he won his first title. Gulbis did not lose a single set the entire week and he completely dismantled Ivo Karlovic on championship Sunday. Karlovic had dropped serve just once in four previous matches going into the final; against Gulbis he was broken a ridiculous four times in nine games.

   

  Where was all this in 2009, when Gulbis compiled a horrifying 20-27 match record? Where was it when he did not win back-to-back ATP Tour matches from July of 2008 until October of 2009?

   

  Performances like the ones Gulbis put on in Memphis and Delray were non-existent for an entire year, just like his coaching box was nonexistent for seven months from March to September of last season.
  
  Well, guess who Gulbis hired following a first-round U.S. Open loss to Andy Murray? None other than Hernan Gumy, former coach of…Marat Safin. Granted, Safin did almost nothing under Gumy’s watch in 2008 and 2009, but that clearly had everything to do with Safin’s disinterest in tennis and nothing to do with Gumy’s coaching prowess.
  
  It’s obvious that Gumy has a knack for talented headcases. Gulbis appeared in a total of zero quarterfinals in 2009 between January and September. He made it to a pair of quarterfinals (Tokyo and St. Petersburg) in the first five weeks with Gumy in his corner.

   

  By previous standards, Gulbis has been remarkably consistent of late. Just like with Safin, however, consistency is never going to be one of Gulbis’ strong suits. For every kind of loss like the one Safin suffered in the infamous 2002 Australian Open final to Thomas Johansson, Gulbis will collapse leading 5-1 in the third set against Jose Acasuso (on a fast hard court!), like he did in the 2008 Toronto Masters.
  
  At the same time, though, Safin was prone to put on some of the most amazing displays in tennis history. His most famous performances, among many others, were a straight-set destruction of Pete Sampras in the 2000 U.S. Open final and a five-set triumph over Roger Federer in the 2005 Australian Open semifinals, accepted as one of the most high-quality matches ever played.
  
  Gulbis, of course, has never produced the goods on that kind of stage. But he has definitely showcased Safin-esque other-worldly tennis at times.

   

  As a relatively unknown 19-year-old in the third round of the 2007 U.S. Open, Gulbis announced his arrival on the tennis scene by destroying then-world No. 8 Tommy Robredo 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 in89 minutes . I was there on the front row, and not a single person in the Grandstand could believe what they had witnessed…especially not Robredo himself.

   

  Some noteworthy quotes from Robredo after he got booted out of New York in humiliating fashion:

   

  "It was long time ago I didn´t see someone playing so well."
  
  "If he plays like he did today, I feel sorry for Moya." (Gulbis lost to Carlos Moya in the fourth round).

   

  "I thought about throwing the racket and go to fight with him to see if I had a chance to win like that."

   

  That was the real beginning of Gulbis on the ATP Tour, and barring a few brief flashes of brilliance between then and now, it was also the end. He took advantage of a nice draw to make an inspiring run to the 2008 French Open quarterfinals and he reached the quarters of the Masters Series Cincinnati two months later. Aside from those two feats, however, it was mostly (to put it in Gulbis terms) “beautiful loss” after “beautiful loss.”
  
  Now—with a new coach and apparently a new, hard-working mindset—Gulbis is winning. And the ATP Tour needs him to keep winning, because this kid could be great for the game.
  
  He estimated last week in Delray Beach that he breaks between 50 and 60 rackets a year; not quite as many as Safin, but a healthy number. I’m not saying that broken rackets are good for tennis, but people—admit it—do like to see players showing emotion on the court.

   

  He’s also downright hilarious. Explaining the incredible momentum swing in his Memphis quarterfinal that saw Berdych go from leading 5-2 to being out of the tournament in about 15 minutes, Gulbis quipped, "Tennis is a terrible sport." If that’s not a Safin quote, I don’t know what is.
  
  When asked how he returned Karlovic's serve so well in the Delray title match, Gulbis answered, "I think he was a little bit scared to serve against me because the height didn't matter, because I blocked him in basketball. He thought that I fouled, but it's OK."
  
  Then, after he lost to Andy Roddick in a the second round of the 2008 U.S. Open in a match that lasted well past midnight (also a match the happened to showcase the essence of Gulbis—absolutely amazing for almost two full sets before choking while he served for a two-set lead), someone in an empty interview room assured him that reporters would soon show up. Gulbis: "No, they won’t come, trust me. Nobody is interested in losers here."

   

  On that night he happened to be wrong (reporters showed up and the press conference went as planned), but in general he is absolutely right.
  
  Nobody is interested in losers.
  
  People are interested in winners, and at long last, winning is why interest in Gulbis is growing. Sure, the occasional racket throw, the witty comments, and the 140 mph serves were worth tuning into for a while, but now people watch with sustained interest because he has a chance to do serious damage on the ATP Tour.
  
  Don’t get me wrong; there is nothing that special about reaching the semis of a relatively soft 500-point event and winning a 250-point title in an extremely weak field. But it was the manner in which Gulbis did it that gives reason for hope. The shocking comeback against Berdych, the complete devastation of everything in his Delray Beach path….
  
  Like Safin, Gulbis will never be a consistent Grand Slam winner; his game and his temperament—almost carbon copies of that of the mercurial Russian—simply aren’t conducive to persistent winning. But for every mind-boggling loss, now we have reason to think that there will be a spectacular win.

  
  Gulbis is still young, so I’d like to say the future is now. But I said that three years ago.

   

  I think it would be fair to say that for Gulbis, the past is now. What we were supposed to see in 2009 is finally here.

   

  It’s time to get back on the bandwagon.

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