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12/17/08 3:29 PM | Cheryl Murray
Russian star Marat Safin has been heating up the ATP tour since he burst onto the scene in 1999.
Marat Safin’s successes have always come at unexpected moments. At the beginning of 2000, he was ranked 38 in the world. He lost in the first round of the Australian Open to a South African named Grant Stafford. By July of the same year, the 19 year old won his first Masters-Series event in Toronto, posting a victory over Pete Sampras on his way to the final.
Still, few were prepared for what was to come at the 2000 US Open. Safin struggled in the opening rounds, going 4 sets against little-known Frenchman Thierry Guardiola and five sets against Gianluca Pozzi in the second. He continued to limp through the draw, but managed to reach the final. His opponent was the heavily favored Pete Sampras. The outcome was supposed to be a given. Sampras at home, on hardcourts against a Russian kid - no problem. But as it turned out, nothing about that match was predictable.
Terms like “potential” and “talent” had been bandied around about Safin--he had shown glimpses of his shot-making skill--especially earlier in the summer of 2000. Despite these hints of things to come, the form he displayed in the US Open final induced jaw-dropping shock in many – including Pete Sampras. Safin could do no wrong that day. Every shot seemed like the perfect shot – it was as if the Russian had studied a script of the match beforehand. Sampras literally looked dazed and confused on the court. Safin eventually handed Sampras a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 straight set drubbing.
Safin was going to be the Next Big Thing. Many thought that he would take over for Sampras as the dominant force in men’s tennis. Instead, he won just two minor titles in 2001, one title in 2002 and nothing in 2003 and most of 2004. Then he went on to shock the tennis world again by capturing the last two Masters events in 2004 at Madrid and Paris-Bercy.
When the Australian Open rolled around in 2005, Safin came in with good momentum, but not as a favorite to win. He worked his way through a tricky draw, beating a very young Novak Djokovic, Mario Ancic and Dominik Hrbaty on his way to a highly anticipated semi-final clash with top seed Roger Federer. It would end up being one of the most spectacular matches ever played. Federer was not having an “off” day.
The Swiss maestro played brilliantly for nearly five hours. He won more points than Safin both on the serve and the return, he earned more break points. In short, Federer played his “A” game and on that day, against that opponent Federer’s “A” game was not good enough. Safin was just a touch more brilliant, held his nerve a bit better. Once again, the Russian could do no wrong. Both men crafted winners from seemingly impossible positions. The 5-7 6-4 5-7 7-6(6) 9-7 scoreline only tells part of the story. It would be, perhaps, the greatest single win of Safin’s career. He went on to beat Lleyton Hewitt in the final in four sets for his second Grand Slam title.
Much of the Safin magic is gone now. A chronic knee injury kept him from the Australian Open in 2006, and the Russian has not been the same since. His famous on-court temper, which involves at least one smashed racket in every match he plays, has become detrimental. There was even some talk of retiring for the Russian. Of course, one can never count Safin out. After languishing for the first half of 2008, he made a shocking run to the Wimbledon semi-finals.
No matter what happens in 2009, Marat Safin has already cemented himself as one of the most exciting--if under-performing--champions in recent memory.
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Hunky St.Safin will play around. At least for a while.
milivice , 12/21/08 2:31 PM