Marat Safin

• Date of birth: Jan 27, 1980
• Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
• Residence: Monte Carlo, Monaco
• Height: 6'4'' (193 cm)
• Weight: 195 lbs (88 kg)
• Plays: Right-handed
• Turned Pro: 1997

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Marat Safin (Tatar: Marat Mubin ul? Safin; b. January 27, 1980) is a Russian former World No. 1 tennis player of Tatar ethnicity.

Safin began his professional career in 1997 and held the No. 1 world ranking for 9 weeks in November and December of 2000. He is known for his good looks, large physical size, athleticism, controversial antics, and aggressive "power" style of play. He is fluent in Russian, English and Spanish.

Safin's greatest accomplishments are winning the 2000 US Open and the 2005 Australian Open. He helped lead Russia to Davis Cup victory in 2002 and 2006.

Tennis career

Early life and career

Safin was born in Moscow, USSR (now Russia), to an ethnic Tatar  muslim family. His parents were former tennis players and coaches. His younger sister is a professional tennis player Dinara Safina, and not the singer Alsou Safina, contrary to public belief, although she also has a brother named Marat. Safin's father managed the local Spartak Tennis Club where Safin trained in his youth alongside several up-and-coming tennis players, including Anna Kournikova, Elena Dementieva, and Anastasia Myskina. At age fourteen he moved to Valencia, Spain, to gain access to advanced tennis training programs which were not available in Russia. Safin gained the attention of the tennis establishment in 1998 with his consecutive victories over Andre Agassi and (defending champion) Gustavo Kuerten at the French Open.

World No.1 and 2000 US Open

Safin held the No. 1 ATP ranking for 9 weeks during 2000. In that year, he won his first Grand Slam tournament at the US Open, by defeating (then) 4-time US Open winner and (eventual) 14-time Grand Slam tournament winner Pete Sampras in straight sets. The match is often referenced as the one of the greatest performances in the history of the game and certainly Safin's best performance. Tennis experts immediately hailed Safin as the new star who would dominate tennis in future years. However, Safin failed to live up to this hype. He suffered a succession of injuries which affected his game and, in 2003, resulted in his missing the majority of the season.

Grand Slam history

Safin reached the final round in three more Grand Slam tournaments, all in the Australian Open (in 2002, 2004 and 2005). He has cited nervousness as the reason for his loss in the 2002 event, and physical exhaustion for the 2004 loss. He defeated home-country favorite Lleyton Hewitt in the 2005 finals to secure his second Grand Slam in five years. En route to this final, he defeated top-ranked Roger Federer in an epic five-set semi-final match. Safin later described the match as "a brain fight". Safin's win ended Federer's 26-match winning streak over top-10 players, denting the Swiss player's aura of supposed invincibility.

He has never progressed further than the quarterfinals of Wimbledon (2001), often losing in the first or second rounds even as a Top 10 player. In 2002 he reached the semifinals of the French Open, his best performance there to date.

Masters' Series

Safin has won five ATP Tennis Masters Series titles during his career. His first was in 2000 when he won the title in Toronto, Canada. He holds a record-tying three (2000, 2002, and 2004) wins in Paris, France, and one in 2004 in Madrid, Spain.

Tennis Masters' Cup

In 2004, Safin reached the Semifinal of the Tennis Masters' Cup in Houston, where he was defeated by Roger Federer, 6-3, 7-6(18). The second-set tiebreak was the third tiebreak of the score 20-18 in the Open Era. Safin also reached the semifinals in 2001.

Davis Cup

Marat Safin also helped Russia to its first Davis Cup victory in 2002, with a 3-2 tie-breaking win against France in the final round at the Palais Omnisports Paris Bercy. His Russian team included Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Mikhail Youzhny, Andrei Stoliarov, and team captain Shamil Tarpischev. The team made Davis Cup history by being the second to win the event after losing the doubles tie-breaker, and becoming the first team to win a (live-televised) five-set finals match by coming back from a two-set deficit. Safin also helped Russia to win the Davis Cup in 2006. After a straight sets defeat by David Nalbandian in his first match, his doubles victory (partnering Dmitry Tursunov) against Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri and singles victory against Jose Acasuso drove Russia to victory.

2005

After winning the 2005 Australian Open, Safin attributed his recent revival and more consistent performance to the calming presence of his new coach Peter Lundgren, saying that "I never believed in myself before at all, until I started to work with him." Lundgren had been Federer's coach, until parting ways at the end of 2003; Safin hired Lundgren the following year. All the talk about Safin finding his consistency was a false dawn, however, as he was defeated in the early rounds of each of the seven tournaments he played between the Australian Open and the French Open. In June 2005, shortly after his unsuccessful French Open campaign, Safin made a surprise finals appearance at the Wimbledon tune-up tournament in Halle on grass -- admittedly, his least-favorite playing surface. He lost the final narrowly to the defending champion, Roger Federer.

2006

Although a serious knee-injury hampered Safin's progression and rankings within the ATP (he missed the 2005 US Open and 2006 Australian Open), he has since got back on-track with appearances at the 2006 ATP Masters tournaments at Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Rome and Hamburg.

On August 17, 2006, after a disappointing year, which saw his ranking drop as low as 104, Safin temporarily parted ways with coach Peter Lundgren. 

At the 2006 US Open, Safin looked like he was back on track as he defeated the then world #4 David Nalbandian in the 2nd Round in a 5th Set tiebreaker. However, his run didn't last much longer as in the 4th Round he lost to former world #2 Tommy Haas, also on a 5th set tiebreaker.

Safin's current improvement in form has continued, firstly in September, with an impressive home Davis Cup tie where Russia beat the USA 3-2 to gain a place in the finals in December 2006, and secondly with a good run at the start of the indoor season the Thailand Open where he was narrowly edged out by #7 seed, James Blake.

On October 14, 2006, Safin made it to his first final in a year-and-a-half at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow, the first all Russian final at that event, losing to Nikolay Davydenko.

On December 3, 2006, Safin defeated Jose Acasuso 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the 5th rubber of the 2006 Davis Cup, winning the cup for Russia. He had previously lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 to David Nalbandian in his first match. In the doubles match, he teamed with Dmitry Tursunov to win the doubles match against Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri in straight sets.

2007

Safin played no warm-up tournaments in the run up to the Australian Open. As Safin was forced to miss the tournament in 2006 due to injury, 2007 was his first Australian Open since he captured the title in 2005.

Safin played the first round against Germany's Benjamin Becker, defeating him in a 5 set battle, 5-7, 7-6(7-2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Safin went on to beat Israeli qualifier Dudi Sela, from two sets to one down, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 7-6(7-4), 6-0. Safin played sixth seed Andy Roddick in the much anticipated third round match, and lost 6-7, 6-2, 4-6, 6-7 in a grueling 3-hour match. Roddick commented after the match, "With Marat you know you are going to get an emotional roller-coaster. You just have to try and focus on yourself and I was able to do that tonight." He later added jokingly: "And it doesn't help that he's nine feet tall".

The Davis Cup Quarter Finals took place in April, when Russia met France. Marat did not take part in any of the first four matches, and after the rubbers were tied at 2 all, he played the final and deciding rubber against Paul-Henri Mathieu. It is to be noted that all other matches played over the weekend went to five sets; Marat's match was over in three and straight sets with Safin and Russia emerging as the victor. This earned the team a spot in the Davis Cup Semi Finals against Germany from the 21st to the 23rd of September 2007; the other Semi Final will take place between the USA and Sweden.

At Wimbledon, Safin reached the third round where he met Roger Federer, he lost the match 1-6, 4-6, 6-7(7-4).

After Wimbledon, in July, Safin announced that he and his coach Alexander Volkov were parting and that his new coach would be former pro Herman Gumy.

At the US Open he lost to Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round with a scoreline of 3-6 3-6 3-6.

After the US Open, Safin announced, via his official website, that he had prematurely ended his season as a result of a recurring wrist injury, felt during his 2nd round match in the US Open. He will spend 4-6 weeks, beginning Friday the 14th of September, climbing the mountain of Cho-Oyu, on the border of Nepal and Tibet.

2008

Safin prepared for the Australian Open at the invitational exhibition tournament, the AAMI Kooyong Classic in Melbourne. Other players in the field were Roddick, Fernando González, Nikolay Davydenko, Marcos Baghdatis, Ivan Ljubicic and Andy Murray. Safin was victorious in his opening match, defeating Andy Murray 6–1, 6–4before falling to defeat in his second match to Andy Roddick 6–3, 6–3.In the 3rd place play-off, Safin rebounded from the Roddick loss and overpowered last year's Australian Open runner up Fernando González winning the match 6–3, 6–3.Safin won his first round match at the Australian Open against Ernests Gulbis in straight sets - 6-0, 6-4, 7-6(2). He was ousted in the 2nd round after a grueling five set match against Baghdatis - 6–4, 6–4 2–6, 3–6, 6–2.

In February, Safin was granted wildcards into the tournaments at Memphis and Las Vegas. In Memphis, he was edged out by his 2002 Australian Open opponent, Thomas Johansson, 7–6, 7–6 in the first round. In Las Vegas he was defeated by Lleyton Hewitt during the semi-finals round in 2007 7–5, 6–1.Safin was defeated by Hewitt once again by 6–2, 6–1 in 58 minutes.

In March, Safin lost in the first round of Indian Wells and Miami, to Jürgen Melzer and qualifier Bobby Reynolds respectively. In the Davis Cup between Russia and the Czech Republic, Safin defeated world no. 9 Tomáš Berdych in a five set encounter, after being two sets down, 6–7, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–4. This was the first time in his career that he has come back to win a match after being down two sets. Safin said that he hoped that this would be a turnaround in his form.

Safin's next tournament was in Valencia. He defeated former World No. 1 and number 4 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero 6–3, 5–7, 6–4. He played Dutch teenager Robin Haase in the next round. He won the first set 6–2 and was up 4–2 in the 2nd set. However, Haase broke back to take it to a tiebreak. Safin had 4 match points, including one on his serve, but lost this tiebreak, and eventually the match.

In the Monte Carlo Masters, Safin defeated Xavier Malisse 6–3, 6–2, but then lost to No. 5 David Ferrer 6–2, 6–3. He then entered the 2008 BMW Open in Munich, Germany, where his first round opponent was Carlos Berlocq. Safin won 6–3, 3–6, 6–4. In the second round he edged out Michael Berrer 7–6(4), 6–7(5), 6–3, but lost to Fernando González 7-5, 6-3 in his first quarterfinal of the year, and the first since June 2007 at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, D.C.

Safin also entered the 2008 French Open but was eliminated in the second round by countryman and No. 4 seed Nikolay Davydenko, in straight sets, 7–6, 6–2, 6–2.

Ranked at No. 75, Safin entered the 2008 Wimbledon Championships where he defeated Fabio Fognini 6–1, 6–2, 7–6(3) in the first round. In the second round he defeated No. 3 player and 2008 Australian Open Champion Novak Djokovic 6–4, 7–6(3), 6–2. Safin's victory came as a shock as Djokovic was described as a "serious contender" to win the tournament.[26] In the third round, he played Italian Andreas Seppi (29th seed) and beat him 7–6, 3–6, 7–6, 6–4. In the Round of 16 came Stanislas Wawrinka who he defeated 6–4, 6–3, 5–7, 6–1. This was the first time he had reached the Quarterfinals in a major tournament since the 2005 Australian Open. Safin went on to defeat Feliciano López 3–6, 7–5, 7–6(1), 6–3 in the quarterfinals to set up a semifinal clash with defending champion Roger Federer. Safin lost the match 6–3, 7–6(3), 6–4. His run to the semifinals was his best record in Wimbledon and made him the first Russian man to ever reach a Wimbledon semifinal.[27] Safin then played at the Swedish Open, on clay, in Båstad against Marc López, winning 7–6, 7–5 in the first round. He lost his second round match against Potito Starace.

Safin was awarded a wild card into the Rogers Cup Masters tournament in Toronto. He played Sam Querrey in the first round, winning 6–3, 6–3. Due to rain delays, he had to play his next match against Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka on the same day.[28] He lost that match 6–3, 6–4. Safin was seeded fifth for his next tournament, the Countrywide Classic in Los Angeles. He defeated Americans John Isner 6–3, 6–4 and Wayne Odesnik 6–3, 6–2 in the first and second rounds respectively to advance to the quarterfinals, where he was defeated by Denis Gremelmayr 3–6, 6–3, 6–2.

In the US Open, Marat Safin lost in the second round to Tommy Robredo 4–6, 7–6, 6–4, 6–0.

At the Moscow Kremlin Cup, he defeated Noam Okun, Julien Benneteau, and fellow countrymen Nikolay Davydenko and Mischa Zverev only to lose to another compatriot Igor Kunitsyn 7–6, 6–7, 6–3 in the final. It was Safin's first final appearance since 2006, in the same event. Following the Kremlin Cup, Safin withdrew from the Madrid Masters event with a shoulder injury cited as the reason.

His next event was the St. Petersburg Open at which he lost in the 2nd round. He then lost his first round match at the final ATP tournament of the calendar - the Paris Masters. He lost the match to Juan Mónaco 6-0 7-6. In the post-match conference, he raised the possibility of his retirement from the sport. Via a message posted on his official website, he said he was going to take a holiday and then seriously consider his options regarding his future in tennis.

Characteristics

Safin is notorious for his emotional outbursts during matches. He is noted for having smashed numerous rackets and, at the 2004 Roland Garros tournament, he pulled his shorts down to his thighs —he was wearing underwear— after winning a point in a second round match against Felix Mantilla.

He frequently verbally berates himself for lost points, speaking in the languages of Russian, Spanish and English. He is also known for having arguments with the chair umpires. One such recent example took place in the 2007 Australian Open, after a rain delay during his 3rd round match with Andy Roddick. The court was, to his belief, still wet and hence he refused to continue play until it was dried properly. This led to an extensive argument with the chair umpire and tournament referee until the problem was properly solved by the towelling down of the suspect area.

Marat Safin officially uses the Head Flexpoint Prestige mid-size tennis racquet. Safin won his first Grand Slam the US Open in 2000, where he used the Head Prestige Classic 600. A year later Safin signed with Dunlop and played with the Dunlop 200MG. In 2002 Safin reverted back to using the Head Prestige Classic 600 and has played with the PC600 ever since, although painted as the following racquets purely for promotional purposes (including the Dunlop), respectively: iPrestige, LiquidMetal Prestige and finally the Flexpoint Prestige.

His racquets used to be strung using Babolat VS Natural Team Gut 17L gauge. He now uses a 'hybrid' of Babolat VS Team Gut 17L (crosses) and Luxilon ALU-Power Rough 16L (mains) strung at about 62 lbs and 64 lbs respectively. His clothing and shoe sponsor is Adidas and has been for the last seven years.

source:  Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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